Chhattisgarh Man Faces New Murder Charges After Acquittal in Wife's Death
Police in Chhattisgarh have arrested a man for murder just over a year after the High Court acquitted him in his wife's killing. The new case involves another woman who died on the same calendar date, exactly seven years apart from the first incident.
Arrest Follows Break in Cold Case
On January 17, 2025, Mahasamund district police took Suraj Dhruv into custody. They charged him with murdering 55-year-old Sunita Rajak on April 2, 2024. The arrest came after investigators discovered crucial CCTV footage that had been overlooked.
The case had grown cold until new leadership took over the district police. Superintendent of Police Prabhat Kumar ordered a fresh look at unsolved murders. Police Inspector Dinesh Kumar Yadav, in charge of Tumgaon police station, began searching for technical evidence.
"I was asked to work on the undetected murders," Yadav explained. "I started by looking for technical leads in the case."
How Police Cracked the Case
The breakthrough came when officers reviewed old surveillance footage. The video showed Dhruv riding a motorcycle with Sunita Rajak nearly a year earlier. Police traced the motorcycle to one of Dhruv's relatives. This connection eventually led them to Dhruv himself.
Sunita Rajak's burnt remains were discovered in a teak forest near Kodar dam in Mahasamund. Tendu leaf collectors first alerted a forest guard, who then informed police. Authorities identified the body through a missing person's report filed by Sunita's family.
The Victim's Tragic Story
Investigators revealed that Sunita Rajak and her husband Rajesh faced significant debt. They owed approximately seven lakh rupees and were actively seeking ways to repay it. On January 30, 2024, Sunita met Dhruv while returning home from visiting her sisters.
According to police accounts, Dhruv offered to drop Sunita at the nearest bus stand. Instead, he promised her employment and took her to a dilapidated building near his relative's home. She remained there for about two months.
In March 2024, after Sunita repeatedly insisted on returning home, Dhruv allegedly took her to a nearby jungle. Police say he strangled her there and stole her gold jewelry. Her husband Rajesh died by suicide after her body was found on April 2, 2024.
Previous Acquittal in Wife's Murder
Dhruv's arrest comes barely a year after the Chhattisgarh High Court cleared him of murdering his 19-year-old wife Santoshi. Her body was discovered in a nullah behind their residence on April 2, 2018. Dhruv had reported her missing that same day.
A Sessions court convicted Dhruv in 2019 and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court relied on multiple pieces of evidence:
- Accounts from twelve eyewitnesses
- Dhruv's own confession
- A bamboo stick allegedly used in the strangulation
However, the High Court overturned this verdict on December 13, 2024. The court stated that prosecutors failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt. They also noted the prosecution did not complete the chain of circumstances.
"We are of the considered view that the prosecution has failed to discharge its primary burden," the court declared. "The conviction is hereby set aside and he is acquitted on the basis of principles of benefit of doubt."
Pattern Emerges in Dates and Locations
Both murders share striking similarities that investigators are examining:
- Both victims were women
- Both crimes occurred on April 2
- Both happened in Mahasamund district
- Seven years separated the incidents
Police continue to investigate possible connections between the cases. The new evidence from CCTV footage has given them fresh momentum in a case that had previously stalled.
Dhruv remains in police custody as investigations continue into both deaths. Authorities are examining whether other factors might connect these tragic events separated by seven years but linked by calendar date and location.
