Jhansi: Key developments, including the motive of the crime, have surfaced in the probe of the murder of Anita Chaudhary, Jhansi's first female auto-rickshaw driver. A love affair, betrayal, and a plan for revenge are said to be the motive behind the crime. Police have arrested the main accused along with two others.
During questioning, the main accused revealed that he and the victim had once been in a love relationship and had even married in a temple about six or seven years ago, but she later left him.
Unable to accept the separation, he planned her murder to avenge the perceived betrayal and deliberately chose the night of their wedding anniversary to carry it out, according to police.
Who Was Anita Chaudhary?
Anita Chaudhary was Jhansi’s first woman auto-rickshaw driver. She had worked for nearly 15 years with a private firm before quitting in 2020 after an argument with her supervisor. Although the management later tried to call her back, she refused.
Anita took her children to Maharashtra in search of work, as her husband’s income was insufficient to run the house. However, the Covid-19 lockdown forced her to return within weeks.
The family’s financial condition worsened. She then decided to buy an auto-rickshaw, but banks were reluctant to offer her a loan. Even at home, she faced resistance. Relatives objected to a woman driving an auto. Despite all odds, eventually, after arranging the documents on her own, she purchased an auto-rickshaw on finance on 18 February 2021.
She learned to drive from a neighbour. Soon, she was on the roads of Jhansi, ferrying passengers through areas where women drivers were unheard of.
She was later felicitated by senior police officials for becoming the city’s first woman auto-rickshaw driver.
How Anita Was Killed?
On the night of 4 January 2026, Anita Chaudhary was shot dead near Sakunwa Dhukwan Colony in the Nawabad police station area of Jhansi. Her blood-soaked body was found lying on the road, with her overturned auto-rickshaw nearby. Initially, the incident appeared to be an accident, but a post-mortem confirmed she had been shot (in the head/neck), leading to a murder investigation.
Huusband Files Police Complaint
Based on a complaint filed by her husband, police registered a case against Mukesh Jha (the main accused), his son Shivam, and brother-in-law Manoj. Shivam and Manoj were quickly taken into custody. Mukesh remained at large initially; the next day, his Ignis car was found abandoned on the Notghat bridge over the Betwa River.
Police intensified their search and achieved a breakthrough last night (9 January 2026). A confrontation took place on a dirt road from Bhagwantpura to Karguan.
When police surrounded Mukesh and attempted to apprehend him, he opened fire at them. In retaliatory police firing, he was shot in the leg, arrested and admitted to a medical college for treatment. Police recovered a pistol and cartridges from him.
