Jharkhand Man Arrested for Brutal Murder of Live-In Partner

A 25-year-old butcher has been arrested for allegedly murdering his live-in partner and dismembering her body into 40 to 50 pieces in Jharkhand's Khunti district, police reported on Wednesday.

The accused, Naresh Bhengra, was detained after human remains were discovered near Jordag village in the Jariagarh police station area on November 24, around two weeks after the crime. A stray dog carrying a human body part had drawn attention to the scene.

According to police, Bhengra and the victim, a 24-year-old woman from Khunti, had been in a live-in relationship while living in Tamil Nadu for the past few years. Recently, Bhengra returned to Jharkhand, married another woman without informing his partner, and then rejoined her in Tamil Nadu.

The murder occurred on November 8, shortly after Bhengra brought the victim to Jharkhand. Unwilling to take her home due to his new marriage, he lured her to a forested area near his house in Jordag village. There, he strangled her with her dupatta, raped her, and dismembered her body with sharp tools, leaving the pieces in the forest for wild animals.

Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar confirmed the arrest, while Inspector Ashok Singh noted that Bhengra, skilled in butchery from his work in Tamil Nadu, confessed to the crime. Singh revealed that Bhengra had returned home to live with his wife after disposing of the body.

The victim had reportedly pressured Bhengra to return to Khunti, unaware of his recent marriage. She had informed her mother about traveling with Bhengra, which later helped police identify her. After human remains were discovered on November 24, a bag containing the victim's Aadhaar card and other belongings was found in the forest. The victim's mother identified the items and accused Bhengra of the crime.

Upon his arrest, Bhengra admitted to the murder and provided details of the incident. The gruesome nature of the case has left the local community in shock, drawing comparisons to the 2022 Shraddha Walkar case, in which a woman was similarly killed and dismembered by her partner in Delhi's Mehrauli area.