Indore murder: Mother, brother held for killing woman, faking suicide

A woman and her son were arrested in Indore for murdering her 25-year-old daughter. They initially claimed she died by suicide after consuming poison, but a post-mortem revealed she died from a fatal head injury sustained in an altercation.

A woman and her son were arrested for allegedly murdering her daughter in Indore district after an investigation uncovered their attempt to pass off the death as a case of suicide, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

Jyoti Agrawal (25) was found dead on April 2 in the Hira Nagar area of Indore. The family had initially claimed that she had consumed poison following an argument over her desire to meet a friend. But the post-mortem revealed that Jyoti died due to a head injury, police said.

Police Probe Reveals Cover-Up

Speaking to ANI, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Rubina Mijwani said a detailed probe found that the family's version was inconsistent with the evidence collected during the investigation. "After receiving information about Jyoti Agrawal's death on April 2, we conducted a thorough investigation. The facts narrated by the family were found to be false. Based on the post-mortem report and other circumstantial evidence, we registered a murder case and arrested her mother, Sheetal Agrawal, and brother, Prakash Agrawal (23). Both have been taken into police remand," Mijwani said.

The officer said the investigation established that Jyoti had an argument with her family on the day of the incident. During the altercation, her brother allegedly struck her head on the wall, resulting in fatal injuries. "Initally, the family claimed that the woman consumed poison after the dispute. But after cross-verifying statements, examining technical evidence and analysing the post-mortem report, we concluded that she died due to a head injury sustained during the altercation," ACP Mijwani said.

Suspicious Circumstances and Tampered Evidence

She further said the first signs of foul play emerged when they inspected the house and found CCTV cameras installed throughout the premises but no recorded footage. "When we visited the house, we found that the CCTV recordings were completely missing. The family claimed they did not know whether the cameras were recording. We also noticed that the DVR was unusually clean, unlike what is generally found during investigations. Even before receiving the post-mortem report, we suspected that evidence had been concealed," the officer said.

The ACP highlighted that statements of neighbours and relatives indicated there had been disputes within the family. These statements, along with the post-mortem findings and other circumstantial evidence, helped the police establish the sequence of events and unravel the case.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and further investigation is underway, the officer added. (ANI)

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