Delhi Man Kills Wife, Hides Body In Bed; Arrested While Plotting Second Murder Of ‘Friend’

A 28-year-old Dhanraj alias Lalu was arrested for allegedly killing his wife, Deepika Chauhan (26), and burying her in a bed while planning to commit another murder in southwest Delhi’s Janakpuri.

The accused was inspired by YouTube videos that promised to help kill and dispose of the body at a secluded spot without any suspicion.

The case turned out to be chilling when the police received a PCR call on January 3 about a decomposed body found in a rented accommodation in Jankipuri.

The woman’s body, her mouth wrapped with white tape to delay decomposition, was found inside a bed box.

Heated Argument leads to Murder

The interrogation revealed that a bike taxi rider, Dhanraj, confessed to killing Deepika on December 29 following a heated argument. He had strangled her to death because he suspected she was having an affair with one of his friends.

The accused, a habitual drinker who earned very little, was dissatisfied with his wife, who was a private-sector employee managing all the expenses of the house.

“Dhanraj had planned to dismember the body after a few days and dispose of the pieces in a secluded area. He claimed to have been inspired by videos he watched on the internet,” said Ankit Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka). However, his plan was not executed properly at the end, when a friend he sought help from refused to cooperate.

Second Murder Plot

Dhanraj ran to Agra, went back to Delhi, and then fled to Jaipur. He went to Amritsar on January 4 but returned to Delhi the same day with an intention to murder a friend of Deepika he suspected was his girlfriend.

“Dhanraj was wielding a knife and headed back to Delhi to commit the second murder when he was apprehended,” added police.

His phone had already been switched off to avoid raising suspicion, but a UPI payment he had made during the journey led to his location by the police.

Dhanraj told the police that he killed his wife over jealousy regarding his wife’s relation with another man. He was arrested on 5 January as he was traveling back from Amritsar and three mobile phones, including one of the deceased, were found with him.

The case has been compared to the infamous 2022 Shraddha Walkar murder case, where the accused had chopped up the victim’s body. Police confirmed that Dhanraj had no prior criminal history but was heavily influenced by violent online content.

The investigation is still ongoing. Dhanraj remains in custody.

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