Mahakumbh: Delhi Man Brings Wife For Religious Trip, Kills Her To Continue His Extramarital Affair

A couple from Trilokpuri, Delhi, travelled to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh to witness the Mahakumbh festival.

The husband diligently recorded videos and took photographs of their time together, sending them home to their children to depict a joyful trip. They checked into a modest homestay for the night, but by morning, the wife's blood-soaked body lay sprawled across the room.

Photo Credit: Pexels

It took the Prayagraj Commissionerate Police 48 hours to solve the case and arrest the husband for the brutal murder of his wife in the Jhunsi area of the city on the night of February 18.

Here's What Happened

On February 19 morning, the Prayagraj police were informed about the discovery of a 40-year-old woman's blood-soaked body in the bathroom of a homestay in Azad Nagar Colony, under the jurisdiction of Jhunsi police station. The property was serving as a guesthouse for pilgrims attending the Mahakumbh festival. Upon reaching the crime scene, officers found that the woman's throat had been slit with a sharp weapon.

Initial enquiries revealed that the woman had arrived at the homestay the previous night with a man, identifying themselves as husband and wife. The homestay manager allocated them a room without verifying their identities or collecting any proof of identification. The following morning, he discovered the horrific scene in the bathroom and immediately alerted the police.

How the Crime Was Solved

Investigations revealed that the woman had travelled from New Delhi to Prayagraj with her husband on the night of February 18. Her photograph was widely circulated on social media platforms and published in newspapers. On February 21, this strategy proved successful when the woman's relatives came forward to identify her.

The victim was identified as Meenakshi, wife of Ashok Kumar, a resident of Trilokpuri in the national capital. Her brother, Pravesh Kumar, along with her two sons, Ashwani and Adarsh, travelled to Prayagraj upon seeing the published photographs. At Jhunsi police station, they confirmed her identity.

The police subsequently registered a case against Ashok Kumar before tracking him down and arresting him.

An Extramarital Affair

During interrogation, Ashok Kumar confessed to the crime, revealing that he had been planning his wife's murder for three months. A sanitation worker residing in East Delhi's Trilokpuri, Ashok was reportedly involved in an extramarital affair. Seeking to eliminate his wife and continue his illicit relationship, he devised an elaborate plan.

On February 17, Ashok left Delhi with Meenakshi under the pretext of undertaking a pilgrimage to the Mahakumbh. The following day, the couple reached Jhunsi and booked a room at a homestay. As night fell, an argument broke out between them. When Meenakshi went into the bathroom, Ashok seized the opportunity, attacking her from behind and slitting her throat with a knife. He then changed out of his blood-stained clothes, wrapped the murder weapon in them, and discreetly disposed of the evidence.

To create an alibi, Ashok later called his son Ashish, falsely claiming that Meenakshi had gone missing in the crowded fair. Pretending to be concerned, he told his children that he had searched for her but was unable to find her.

The Truth Unravels

Suspicious of his father's explanation, Meenakshi's son Ashwin decided to take matters into his own hands. On February 20, the family travelled to the Mahakumbh with their mother's photograph and began searching for her while the police continued to gather evidence, including CCTV footage from the area where the body was discovered.

Just a day before the murder, on February 18, Ashok had uploaded a video on social media showing himself and Meenakshi taking a sacred dip together.

Surveillance footage, forensic reports, and Ashok's contradictory statements ultimately led to his arrest.