Love, betrayal & murder: Bokaro man held for Bihar woman's death

Bokaro:Two days after the body of a woman was found in a dilapidated building near the railway station, the accused was arrested, police said on Tuesday.

Bokaro SP Manoj Swargyari said, "Police received information on January 19 that a woman's corpse was lying in a dilapidated structure adjacent to Central School near the railway station under the Balidih police station limits. Officers found the body wrapped in a blanket at the scene."

"A special investigation team (SIT) was formed under DSP (headquarters) Animesh Kumar Gupta. The forensic science laboratory officials (FSL) and the fingerprint teams were also roped in. The SIT identified the victim as Lakshmi Kumari (30), a native of Malti village in Gaya district of Bihar. She was working in a factory in Tamil Nadu while her husband was residing in Kolkata. She met Rohit Mahto (19), a native of Pindrajora in Bokaro, at the factory," the SP added.

Referring to the confession statement made by accused Rohit, the SP said that Rohit and Lakshmi entered into the relationship and got married in September 2024.

But Rohit did not share information of his marriage to Lakshmi with his family members. Lakshmi began putting pressure on him to introduce her to his family. This prompted Rohit to hatch a plan to kill her, SP Swargyari stated.

Swargyari said, "Rohit brought the victim to Bokaro on January 17, claiming to take her to his Kashitand residence. He took her to the building, where he strangled her using her dupatta. He dispersed her belongings nearby to confuse investigators and escaped to his uncle's residence in Chas with her mobile phone and other possessions."

The SP added, "We seized several items linked to the crime, including the mobile phones of both the victim and the accused, the victim's Aadhaar card, clothes, and the garland used during their wedding, blood-stained clothing worn by the accused at the time of the incident from a bag belonging to the accused."