MP Shocker: The decomposed body of a woman was found inside a refrigerator in a house in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas city on Friday. Following the discovery, police detained a former tenant for questioning.
The woman, in her 30s, was dressed in a saree and wearing jewelry. Her hands were tied, and a noose was around her neck, according to officials. Police suspect she may have been murdered in June 2024.
The house, located in Vrindavan Dham Colony under Bank Note Press police station, belongs to Dhirendra Shrivastava, who resides in Indore.
The incident came to light when the refrigerator stopped working after the power was cut. A foul smell began emanating from the locked rooms, prompting neighbors to contact the landlord.
“We suspect the woman was killed in June 2024. Neighbors noticed a foul smell coming from the house and informed the landlord. When he opened the locked portion of the house, he found the body in a refrigerator. The fridge’s shelves had been removed to fit the body,” Superintendent of Police Puneet Gehlot shared details of the incident, reported PTI.
“The landlord immediately alerted the police,” he added.
The house had been rented out to Sanjay Patidar, a resident of Ujjain, in June 2023. “Patidar vacated the property after a year but left some of his belongings in the study room and master bedroom,” Gehlot explained.
“Patidar told the landlord that he would return later to clear these rooms.”
Inspector Amit Solanki of Bank Note Press police station provided further details.
“Patidar occasionally visited the house even after vacating it. Recently, the current tenant asked the landlord to unlock the locked portion of the house. The landlord showed the rooms to the tenant but locked them again as Patidar’s belongings were still there. On Wednesday, the landlord switched off the power supply to the locked portion,” Solanki said.
“The body was found after the rooms were reopened. Patidar has been taken into custody.” Solanki added.
During interrogation, Sanjay Patidar confessed that he and the victim, Pratibha, had been in a live-in relationship for five years, according to a PTI report. The couple lived together in Ujjain for three years before moving to Dewas.
Patidar, who is married and has two children, claimed Pratibha was pressuring him to marry her, police said. “On the day of the incident, I sat with her and tried to end the relationship,” Patidar reportedly told the cops. “But she refused to accept it,” he added, as per the PTI report.
Meanwhile, Patidar told the landlord that Pratibha had gone home after her father suffered a heart attack. To avoid suspicion, he reportedly paid two months’ rent in advance, as per PTI.
Police are investigating the case further to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to her death.
(With PTI inputs)
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