A 45-year-old former village sarpanch and three members of his family were allegedly murdered and set on fire in a car here on Thursday, police said.
At Shrirampura village, around 60 km from Ajmer city, a Mahindra Scorpio was found burning on a highway nearly 500 metres from the victims’ house, they said.
The deceased were identified as Ram Singh Choudhary, an ex-sarpanch, his mother, Poosi Devi, his second wife, Suryagyan Devi, and niece Mahima Chaudhary.
The police said they had detained Ram Singh’s first wife Sunita, daughter Sarita, and 17-year-old son in connection with the murders.
Ram Singh lived with both his wives in the same house, and the cohabitation often led to quarrels.
On Thursday, three charred bodies were found in the car, while a fourth body was found in a field nearby, the police said.
Superintendent of Police Harsh Vardhan Agarwala said initially it appeared to be a case of accidental fire, but initial probe indicated they were murders.
When police went to Ram Singh’s house, his first wife said he had gone to a hospital with his mother, who had pain in her chest.
“Ram Singh had two wives, and there was a dispute in the family on this. Our investigation revealed that the first wife and her children had a scuffle with Ram Singh and his mother," the SP said.
The police suspect that the first wife and her children killed the four late on Wednesday night, put them in the SUV, took it to the highway and set it ablaze.
Another officer said the accused, when questioned, claimed that Ram Singh used to torture Sunita and fought often.
“After the bodies were recovered, locals shared inputs about the domestic violence and frequent quarrels that used to happen between Ram Singh and Sunita," the officer said.
Last night also, the family members had a row, and Ram Singh was allegedly attacked with a sharp-edged weapon. When his mother and other family members came to his rescue, they were also attacked.
“The accused put the bodies in the vehicle and took it to the highway, nearly 500 metres away from the house and burnt it with diesel," the officer said.
