Ahmedabad: A young woman was killed at a hotel in Gandhinagar’s Chiloda allegedly by her beloved on Thursday night after her family arrived with Madhya Pradesh (MP) police to take her back home, police said. Cops said that the man who belonged to the SC community took the extreme step as he feared that the couple would be separated by the family.
Couple Eloped from MP
The couple, Santosh Jatav, 24, and Rajni Dhakad, 21, both legally adults, had eloped from MP and checked into the hotel early Thursday morning, investigators said. While Dhakad was a Dalit, the girl belonged to another caste and her family was against their relationship. Dhakad’s family traced them to the hotel later that day and came with MP police officers, triggering an argument as they tried to take her back, police added.
Threats and Separation
During discussions over Dhakad’s return, Jatav was allegedly threatened and Dhakad was taken away to a separate room, police said. Officers said Jatav believed the relationship would end if she returned to MP.
Attack and Suicide Attempt
Police said Jatav then walked into the room where Dhakad had been taken by her family. Pulling out a knife, he pulled Dhakad close and slit her throat in presence of her relatives who were sleeping at that time. As she slumped, Jatav used the same weapon to cut his own throat in an apparent suicide attempt, Chiloda police said.
Hotel staff alerted local police. By the time officers reached the hotel, Dhakad had died. Jatav was rushed to Gandhinagar Civil Hospital and is in a critical condition, police said. His statement has not been recorded.
Investigation Underway
A case of murder has been registered and Dhakad’s body has been sent for postmortem. Police are questioning Dhakad’s family members, hotel staff and MP police personnel who were present during the argument and during the crime. Investigators are also examining call records and other evidence to establish the sequence of events leading up to the incident.
