In a disturbing turn of events in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar district, a 25-year-old labourer has been arrested for the alleged murder of a woman with whom he had a relationship. The accused reportedly killed the victim and then burned her body in an attempt to destroy evidence. The incident came to light following the discovery of the woman’s charred remains on October 25.
The deceased has been identified as 26-year-old Tejaswini Patel, a resident of Charoti village. An investigation was immediately launched, with a case registered at the City Kotwali police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police reports indicate that Tejaswini Patel sustained several stab wounds and blunt force trauma before her death. Authorities gathered information by speaking with villagers and the victim’s family, which helped reconstruct the sequence of events.
Following leads from witness testimonies and local intelligence, investigators identified and detained the suspect, Salik Ram Paikara, also a resident of the same village. According to Paikara’s statement to the police, he and Tejaswini had been in a relationship for approximately four to five months, but it had recently ended. However, Paikara had been persistently pressuring Tejaswini to reconcile, an offer she repeatedly refused.
Driven by her refusal, Paikara allegedly lured Tejaswini out of her home in the early hours of October 24-25. When she again rejected his advances, he attacked her with a knife and a wooden stick, causing fatal injuries. He then transported her body to a secluded spot near a fodder heap and set it on fire. Paikara reportedly returned home afterward and the next day, acted as if nothing had happened.
During the investigation, authorities also uncovered that the accused had created 19 fake Instagram accounts under various female identities, which he used to interact with strangers.
