In Tihar for murder: The story of Delhi model Angel Gupta and her victim who tried to save her marriage

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A Delhi court has sentenced Angel Gupta - once a rising star of item songs and glossy magazine covers - and her lover Manjeet Sehrawat to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of Manjeet’s wife, Sunita Sehrawat. The crime, fuelled by obsession and desperation, unfolded like the plot of a crime thriller.

According to a TOI report, Angel, 26, whose real name is Shashi Prabha, had long left behind her middle-class Delhi roots to chase stardom. With striking features and a calculated reinvention - including a fabricated story of being born in London - she carved out a niche for herself in Mumbai’s entertainment circuit. Though her resume was modest, with a string of item numbers and cameos in low-budget films, Angel carried herself with the aura of someone destined for fame.

But by 2016, the lights began to dim. Her modelling career faltered, the film offers stopped coming and Angel returned to Delhi - broke, disillusioned and clinging to a dream that was slipping through her fingers. It was in this vulnerable space that she met Manjeet Sehrawat, a 35-year-old businessman, at a nightclub in South Delhi.

Their chemistry was instant. But there was a catch: Manjeet was married with two children. His wife, Sunita, a respected schoolteacher from Sonipat, quickly became aware of the affair and refused to let her marriage collapse. She didn’t threaten violence or vengeance. Instead, she wrote. Her diary, discovered later by her daughter, revealed fears of betrayal, heartbreak and the ominous belief that her life was in danger, as per TOI.
According to TOI, Angel’s obsession with Manjeet soon turned all-consuming. With her career in shambles and her self-worth tied to his affection, she became determined to have him — at any cost. When emotional manipulation failed, the couple plotted murder.

The conspiracy was chilling in its precision. With the help of Angel’s stepfather, Rajeev and his driver Deepak, they hired contract killers for Rs 10 lakh. A rehearsal was carried out. Angel even followed Sunita’s route to work on a scooter to ensure every detail was accounted for. The first attempt, planned on Karva Chauth, failed. But three days later, on October 29, 2018, Sunita was ambushed and shot dead outside a police post in the Bawana area of Delhi on the same day she was meant to be honoured at her school.

At first, Manjeet feigned shock. But as India Today reported, investigators were quick to spot inconsistencies. Phone records, GPS locations and a digital money trail unravelled the lie. Manjeet had paid the hitmen online - a fatal mistake that sealed his fate. But it was Sunita’s diary, poignant and prophetic, that provided the emotional core of the case.

The court found six individuals guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code: Angel Gupta, Manjeet Sehrawat, shooters Vishal alias Johny and Shehzad Saifi, driver Deepak and associate Dharmendra.

"This court has no hesitation in saying that it is a cold-blooded murder of a lady who was trying to save her matrimonial life and the future of her children,” the court’s scathing observation was quoted by India Today.

In Tihar Jail today, Angel’s glamorous past has faded into the prison greys. For Sunita’s children, the pain of losing their mother remains etched in memory. The court’s judgment offers justice, but the shadow of the crime will linger.