Maharashtra man strangles lover, stages suicide; arrested 20 days later

A chilling case of murder has emerged from Maharashtra's Chandrapur, where a 22-year-old man allegedly strangled his girlfriend with a mobile charger wire and staged it as a suicide, officials said on Saturday. The truth surfaced only 20 days later after the postmortem report confirmed homicide.

The accused, Ankesh Yogesh Bahirwar (22), has been arrested. The victim, Priyanka Wandhar, was reportedly seven years older than her partner.

According to police, the incident took place on the night of March 14 around 8 pm but came to light on April 3. Priyanka, who was living separately from her husband, had met Ankesh and entered into a romantic relationship with him. The couple began living together on the upper floor of Priyanka's house. Over recent days, however, minor disagreements had escalated into frequent arguments.

Investigations revealed that the disputes were often over controlling behaviour and restrictions on Ankesh's contact with his family. On the night of the murder, tensions boiled over. In a fit of anger, Ankesh allegedly strangled Priyanka with a mobile charger wire. Following the act, he called Priyanka's father, claiming she had become unconscious and may have attempted suicide. Family members rushed her to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

Initially, the death appeared to be a suicide. But the postmortem report released on April 3 confirmed that Priyanka had been strangled. Acting on the findings, police registered a case and began a detailed investigation.

During interrogation, Ankesh reportedly confessed to committing the crime. Police recovered the mobile charger and an extension board used in the murder from the scene. An FIR has been filed against him and further investigation into the matter is underway.

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(With inputs from Vikas Rajurkar.)