The police have arrested four individuals, including a teenage girl’s husband and father-in-law, after her headless body was discovered in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district. The severed head of the victim, who was three months pregnant, was recovered wrapped in plastic roughly 100 metres away from her body.
During the search, the victim’s head was recovered inside a plastic sack beneath a nearby tree, located near a field about 100 metres away from the torso.
On Thursday, her father filed a written complaint at the Baliapur police station. Following the discovery of the body on Friday morning, a forensic team and a dog squad were dispatched from Ranchi. The incident occurred in the desolate forest area of Kherbadia in Dhanbad’s Baliapur town. Locals alerted the police after spotting a blood-soaked torso in the bushes. Rumours of a human sacrifice circulated locally after incense sticks and ritual items were found at the scene. There, she met Krish Ravani. Poonam, who was three months pregnant, had been missing since Wednesday. Upon his release, Krish took Poonam away again, though her father remained opposed to the union. Plans were underway to convene both families at the police station for a settlement prior to the murder.
During the search, the victim’s head was recovered inside a plastic sack beneath a nearby tree, located near a field about 100 metres away from the torso. The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Poonam Kumari.
She had been sent from her hometown in Giridih district to stay with relatives in Dhanbad’s Tundi area for her studies, according to Poonam’s family. The two fell in love, ran away, and got “married” against their families’ wishes, eventually moving into a rented house in Baliapur. The crime was orchestrated by Krish’s father with the help of six accomplices, according to Srivastava. Police said that Jayram was unhappy with his son’s love marriage, as he considered the girl’s family to be of negligible social standing compared to his own.
However, the police clarified that it would be premature to draw conclusions before the investigation is complete. Poonam’s family alleged that Krish had previously been jailed over their relationship and that a village panchayat had been convened to address the matter.
