Jharkhand man kills live-in partner, chops body into 50 pieces; dog finds remains

Jharkhand Murder: According to the police, Naresh Bhengra and Gangi Kumari had been in a live-in relationship for the past few years, but he got married to another woman in Khunti without informing Kumari.

In Short

• Accused Naresh, victim lived and worked in Tamil Nadu
• He, however, married another woman in Jharkhand without victim's knowledge
• Victim's remains recovered on November 24 after dog seen with body parts

A 25-year-old butcher was arrested in Jharkhand's Khunti district for killing his live-in partner and chopping her body into 50 pieces after a fight over his marriage with another woman. The incident, which occurred about two weeks ago, came to light on November 24 after a stray dog was seen with human remains in a forested area.

The accused has been identified as Naresh Bhengra and the victim, Gangi Kumari, 24. They were residents of Jordag village but lived and worked in Tamil Nadu.

According to the police, the two had been in a live-in relationship for the past few years, but Naresh got married to another woman in Khunti without the knowledge of the victim. He even returned to Tamil Nadu and continued living with Gangi.

The brutal incident took place on November 8 when, at Gangi's insistence, the couple returned to Khunti. However, a fight broke out between the two when she forced him to take her to the village and asked him to return the money he owed her if he refused.

Bhengra instead took her to a forested area near his home and strangled Gangi with her dupatta. He then proceeded to chop the body into some 50 pieces and threw away the remains for wild animals to feast on them.

On November 24, the remains of the victim were recovered from the forested area after a dog was seen with some body parts, news agency PTI quoted a police official as saying.

The police also found a bag in the forest which contained Gangi's belongings, including her Aadhaar card and photo, which were identified by her mother later.

Among the recovered items was also a blood-stained sickle and a garden hoe. Bhengra was taken into custody, and he confessed to murdering the victim and chopping her body during interrogation.

A top police officer in Khunti confirmed that the accused had been arrested, and a case was also registered against him.

This latest incident is reminiscent of the 2022 murder case of Shraddha Walkar, who was killed by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi.

Aaftab allegedly strangled Shraddha on May 18, 2022, and cut her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in Mehrauli in South Delhi, before dumping them across the city over several days.

He was arrested on November 12 that year.

(With inputs from Arvind Singh and PTI)