Couple held for murder of woman, daughter in Pratapgarh dist

Udaipur: Pratapgarh police Friday arrested a man and his wife for allegedly murdering his sister-in-law and her daughter and robbing their house in the Devgarh police station area of the district.The accused, identified as Babulal Meena and his wife Gendabai, were arrested after a 13-day investigation involving technical surveillance, cyber analysis and field operations, police said.According to police, the case came to light on May 29 when Rajia Meena lodged a complaint stating that her nephew Keshiya Meena and his son were working in Rajsamand for the past two months, while Keshiya’s wife Manki Bai (40) and daughters Kala and Lali were staying at home.

On the evening of May 28, Lali attended a wedding in a nearby village and allegedly returned the next morning to find her mother and younger sister lying in a pool of blood.Police said Kala died on the spot, while Manki Bai later succumbed to her injuries. The house had also been ransacked and valuables were missing.Following the incident, SP B. Aditya formed special teams and deployed FSL, cyber and dog squad units to investigate the case.

On June 11, police received information that Babulal was hiding in the forests of the Sitamata Sanctuary and detained him.During interrogation, Babulal allegedly confessed that he purchased a second-hand tractor after pledging his wife’s jewellery but was unable to arrange funds required for its financing. Fearing the tractor would be repossessed, he and his wife allegedly plotted the robbery after learning that Manki possessed gold and silver jewellery.Police said the couple entered the house on the night of May 28 armed with an axe and knife, attacked the mother and daughter while they slept, and fled with jewellery and cash.The investigation also revealed that the accused later sold the looted silver bangles to a goldsmith and used the proceeds to pay the tractor finance instalment. Police said this transaction emerged as the strongest piece of evidence linking the couple to the crime.Efforts are underway to recover the murder weapons and remaining stolen jewellery.