Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Vinod Thakur has admitted to killing 26-year-old Bhopal woman Sheetal Kaushal because she was pressuring him to marry her, said police. Thakur, a native of Palwal in Haryana, told Manali police that Sheetal and he had been in a relationship for three years and that she used to insist on living together. Whenever he refused, Sheetal would blackmail him, threatening to go to the police, the cops said.
According to Manali police, Thakur hacked Sheetal to death on May 15 at a hotel there. On Friday, Thakur was produced before a court in Manali, which sent him to judicial custody till Monday. On Saturday, Sheetal’s kin arrived in the city, where her last rites were performed. Manali police officials aware of the incident told Free Press that Thakur had proposed to Sheetal on Valentine’s Day in 2021.
In December 2023, the duo met in Delhi and visited various hill stations in Himachal Pradesh. Almost a month prior to the murder, Sheetal had been pressuring him to meet her, said police quoting his confession. Thakur told police that, as he was busy delivering food to people, his phone was mostly busy, which made Sheetal suspect that he was taking to other girls.
Adding to his statements, Thakur said that before checking out of the hotel on May 15, Sheetal had refused to return to Bhopal, saying she would stay with him in Haryana. When Thakur refused, Sheetal told him that she had their private photos and would approach the police if he did not let her stay with him, said police. This led to an argument between them and Thakur strangled her to death, said police quoting the accused's statement. Manali DSP KD Sharma confirmed the details.
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