Meghnagar (Madhya Pradesh): With the arrest of five people, including a woman, Meghnagar police claimed to have solved the 57-day-old blind murder case of Vijay Panchal, a resident of Agarla village.
According to the police, those who were arrested have been identified as Amarsingh Devda, a resident of Dundka village, his wife Kalibai, Kalu alias Kalia Vasuniya, a resident of Navapara, Sunil Makwana, a resident of Sudarshan Colony Meghnagar and Naresh Sarania, a resident of Raliyati.
As per the police theory, accused Amarsingh suspected his wife of being involved in an illicit relationship with the deceased Vijay.
Although the police could not confirm whether there was indeed an illicit relationship between the deceased and the murderer's wife, the police have recorded it in their official statement.
Police informed that Vijay’s body was found near the railway tracks on August 13. Police registered a case against an unidentified accused and began an investigation into the matter.
The Jhabua SP handed over the matter to the SIT-led by Thandla SDOP, but they too could not get success in time.
With increasing pressure on the police with every passing day, the SP announced a reward of Rs 10,000 to those who gave concrete information about the accused in the case but to no avail. Then the new SP Agam Jain ordered the SIT team and Meghnagar police station in-charge to speed up the investigation and arrest the accused at the earliest.
Based on the investigation and the statements of villagers, the police team zeroed-in on Kalibai and her husband. Police detained them and based on their information arrested three others.
During police interrogation, the accused confessed to have killed Vijay with wooden logs and boulders. They also confessed to have dumped the body near the railway track.
Resentment among Panchal community
After the murder, there was anger in the entire Panchal community in the village. During his tervi programme (post-death ritual) villagers along with his family members had blocked the Jhabua-Ratlam State Highway and demanded the arrest of the accused. Later, the delegation of the society met the former SP and expressed its displeasure over the non-arrest of the accused.
During the civic elections, the family members met Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had visited Thandla, and demanded early action in this matter resulting in the entire police department acting swiftly to solve the case.
