Woman, friend arrested for husband’s murder in Bengaluru

The Bengaluru police have arrested a 21-year-old woman and her male friend for allegedly murdering her husband and disposing of his body to destroy evidence.

The accused have been identified as Archana Chauhan, 21, a native of Uttar Pradesh, and her friend Parul Pal, a security guard from Tripura. The deceased has been identified as Abhijith Pandit.

According to the police, the incident unfolded on May 27. Pal and his associates allegedly strangled Pandit with a rope while they were partying. They later disposed of the body near a lake in Linganahalli in Hesaraghatta. Archana allegedly assisted Pal in the crime.

The following day, Archana filed a missing person complaint at Rajanakunte Police Station. Despite sustained efforts, the police were unable to gather any leads and subsequently questioned Archana and Pal, as all three worked together.

An investigator in the case told The Hindu that both accused gave suspicious responses and, upon intensive questioning, confessed to the crime. Based on their statements, the police exhumed the body from the location where it had been disposed of.

“Archana and Abhijith had married three years ago and had been working as security guards along with Pal at Ittagallapura in Rajanakunte. He grew suspicious of Archana and Pal, as they spent a substantial amount of time together,” the officer said. “He had confronted Archana and asked her not to engage with Pal, which angered her. She informed Pal, following which he allegedly plotted and carried out Pandit’s murder,” he added.