Bihar newlywed mimics Meghalaya honeymoon murder, gets husband killed to hide affair with uncle

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In a case bearing eerie similarities to the recent Meghalaya honeymoon murder, a 25-year-old man in Bihar’s Aurangabad district was allegedly killed by his wife and her maternal uncle barely 45 days after their wedding.

Police say the woman orchestrated a contract killing to eliminate her husband and continue her illicit relationship.

The victim, Priyanshu Kumar Singh, was shot dead on the night of June 24 while returning from Varanasi. He had just reached Nabinagar railway station when he informed his wife, Gunja Singh alias Gunja Devi, to arrange for someone to pick him up. Moments later, he was ambushed and killed by two men, NDTV reported.

The investigation, initially treating the case as a contract killing, took a dark turn when police uncovered that Gunja, in her 20s, had allegedly masterminded the murder in collusion with her 55-year-old maternal uncle, Jeevan Singh. Inspired by the Meghalaya case where a new bride was accused of killing her husband during their honeymoon, Gunja and Jeevan allegedly planned the murder meticulously, according to a TOI report.

As per NDTV, Aurangabad Superintendent of Police Ambarish Rahul said that Gunja had been in a 15-year-long illicit relationship with Jeevan Singh. Despite her reluctance, she married Priyanshu in May under pressure from her family, who were opposed to her relationship with Singh. Struggling to keep the affair hidden and inspired by the recent Meghalaya honeymoon case, she allegedly decided to eliminate her husband.

According to police, Gunja and her uncle planned the murder meticulously. With the help of two accomplices, Jaishankar Chaubey and Mukesh Sharma, both from Garhwa district in neighbouring Jharkhand. They acquired SIM cards and arranged the logistics for the killing.

Gunja allegedly passed on Priyanshu’s location to the killers after speaking to him that night. The shooters, waiting along his route home, shot him dead. His body was discovered shortly after.

Suspicion fell on Gunja when she allegedly attempted to flee the village in the aftermath of the murder. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the case. Her mobile phone was seized and call detail records revealed constant communication between her and her uncle, as well as between Jeevan Singh and the shooters.

"Three people, including Devi, have been arrested. Efforts are on to arrest Singh," SP Rahul said, confirming that she confessed during interrogation, reported NDTV.

The murder has sent shockwaves through the local community, with its uncanny resemblance to the Meghalaya case in which newlywed Sonam and her lover Raj Kushawa conspired to kill her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in May. That case also involved multiple hired accomplices and has drawn widespread public outrage.

In the Aurangabad case, police said the call records and forensic evidence are expected to play a crucial role in securing convictions.