Jaipur, Oct 27 (IANS) An elderly woman was allegedly strangled to death by her neighbour in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district for her gold jewellery weighing 15 tolas. 

After the murder, the accused allegedly took her body to the rooftop of his house, doused it with petrol and set it on fire. They then dumped the remains and ashes into the Kothari River in an attempt to destroy evidence. 

The incident took place on October 12 in the Veer Savarkar Nagar area under the Bhimganj police station limits. Police have arrested the victim’s neighbour, Ravi Tapadia, 43, and his alleged accomplice, Heera Sindhi, in connection with the case.

On Tuesday, acting on information provided by the accused, police used a JCB machine to search the Kothari River near the Paldi bridge, around two kilometres from the scene, and recovered the woman’s remains.

According to Bhimganj Station House Officer Sunil Chaudhary, Ravina Kankariya had lodged a missing person’s report on October 15 regarding her mother-in-law, Kamala Devi Kankariya. Kamala Devi lived alone. 

Her husband, Tej Singh Kankariya, had died four years ago, while her son, Saurabh Kankariya, died in a road accident two years ago. Ravina lives in Bhilwara’s Azad Nagar area with her two children.

A domestic worker employed by Kamala Devi alerted Ravina on October 15 that the house had remained locked and unoccupied since October 12. During the investigation, police discovered that Ravi Tapadia, who lived in the neighbourhood, frequently visited Kamala Devi’s house. CCTV footage reportedly showed the two leaving together on the evening of October 12. 

When questioned, Ravi initially told police that Kamala Devi had asked him to drop her at the market and that he had done so. However, investigators found that she had not left Bhilwara.

During further questioning, he allegedly confessed to the crime. According to police, Ravi had his eyes on Kamala Devi’s gold jewellery, weighing approximately 15 tolas. He allegedly lured her away on October 12 and, with the help of Heera Sindhi, strangled her to death. 

After the murder, the accused allegedly took the jewellery and carried the body to the rooftop of Ravi’s house. They reportedly poured petrol over the body and set it on fire before disposing of the remaining bones and ashes in the Kothari River near the Paldi bridge. 

Police collected the recovered remains in a container as part of the investigation.

Kamala Devi’s daughter-in-law, Ravina, said she had last spoken to her mother-in-law on October 6. She regularly visited her and said Kamala Devi had asked her to bring the children along during her next visit. 

According to Ravina, her mother-in-law would also frequently discuss repairs needed around the house. The accused were taken into custody and produced before a court. 

Photographs published with the report showed the two men smiling while being escorted by police. Police are investigating the circumstances of the murder and the alleged destruction of evidence.