What should have been a phase of hope, companionship, and new beginnings instead turned into a grotesque tale of betrayal, violence, and moral collapse. In yet another incident that has shaken public conscience, a newlywed man from Rajasthan was brutally murdered—allegedly at the behest of the woman he had married just three months earlier. What initially appeared to be a tragic hit-and-run accident has now been exposed as a cold-blooded conspiracy involving a wife, her lover, and hired accomplices.

The case has drawn disturbing parallels with the infamous Meghalaya honeymoon murder, where a woman orchestrated her husband’s killing during their honeymoon and attempted to disguise it as an accident. Together, these incidents paint a horrifying picture of how low society can sink—and how the sanctity of marriage is being repeatedly violated in the most inhuman ways.

A Friday Evening That Ended in Death

It was the evening of January 30, a seemingly ordinary Friday. Ashish and Anju, a newly married couple from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, stepped out for a post-dinner walk. Within hours, Ashish would be dead.

Later that night, at around 9 PM, the police received information that a couple was lying unconscious on a road. When officers arrived at the scene, the situation appeared grim. Both were rushed to the Community Health Centre (CHC). Doctors declared Ashish brought dead, while Anju, aged 23, was found unconscious.

At first glance, the incident seemed like yet another case of reckless driving—a hit-and-run by an unidentified vehicle. Anju claimed exactly that. She told the police that a vehicle had rammed into them during their walk and that she had been robbed of her gold jewellery in the aftermath.

But what looked like a tragic accident soon began to unravel into something far more sinister.

The First Cracks in the Story

According to Amrita Duhan, Superintendent of Police, Sri Ganganagar, investigators immediately began a technical and forensic examination of the site. The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was called in, and the accident spot was carefully surveyed.

“We were informed that a man had been hit by an unidentified vehicle, leading to his death. We surveyed the accident site and also called the FSL team to investigate from the technical point of view,” Duhan stated.

As the investigation progressed, discrepancies began to surface—glaring ones.

Ashish’s body bore multiple injury marks that did not align with a typical road accident. More disturbingly, the medical examination suggested signs of strangulation. These injuries raised immediate red flags.

In stark contrast, Anju appeared to have escaped without any injuries, a fact that further deepened suspicion. Her account of the incident did not match the physical evidence on the ground.

Then came another troubling detail: Anju kept changing her statements, contradicting herself about the sequence of events. Each inconsistency chipped away at the credibility of her version of the story.

Phone Records That Changed Everything

As investigators probed deeper, they examined Anju’s phone records. What they discovered would change the course of the case entirely.

Anju had been in regular contact with a man named Sanju, who lived close to her house. The frequency and timing of these communications raised serious questions, especially in light of her recent marriage.

Soon, the investigation uncovered that Sanju was not just a friend or acquaintance—he was Anju’s former boyfriend.

A Marriage Without Consent, A Relationship Never Let Go

Ashish and Anju had married three months earlier, but the marriage was reportedly troubled from the very beginning. Sources revealed that Anju was unhappy and soon returned to her hometown after the wedding.

It was during this period that she reconnected with Sanju, her former lover. Instead of addressing her marital issues legally or ethically, the two allegedly began plotting something unthinkable—the murder of her husband.

The ease with which this decision was made is what truly chills the soul. A human life, a marriage vow, and an entire family’s future were reduced to obstacles to be eliminated.

The Murder Was Planned, Not Impulsive

Police believe the murder was meticulously planned.

To avoid suspicion, Anju began accompanying Ashish on his nightly walks, creating a routine that would not raise alarm. On the night of January 30, she allegedly led him to an isolated road—a location carefully chosen for its lack of witnesses.

Hidden in the bushes were Sanju and his accomplices:

• Rocky, also known as Rohit

• Badal, alias Siddharth

What followed was a brutal assault.

According to police findings, the attackers beat Ashish mercilessly and strangled him, ensuring his death. To camouflage the crime, they attempted to stage the scene as a road accident.

To strengthen the illusion of a hit-and-run and robbery, Anju handed over her phone and earrings to the accused. She then lay on the road, pretending to be unconscious.

But no amount of acting could hide the truth written on Ashish’s body.

The Lie That Couldn’t Survive Forensics

It was the injury marks on Ashish’s neck, inconsistent with vehicular impact, that ultimately exposed the lie. The forensic evidence spoke louder than Anju’s shifting narratives.

Police sources confirmed that the physical findings, combined with phone records and contradictory statements, led to the complete unravelling of the plot.

All four accused—Anju, Sanju, Rocky (Rohit), and Badal (Siddharth)—have been arrested. Further investigation is ongoing.

A Disturbing Déjà Vu: The Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder

This horrific case instantly reminded investigators—and the nation—of the Meghalaya honeymoon murder, a crime that had already scarred the collective conscience.

In May 2025, Raja Raghuvanshi and his newlywed wife Sonam Raghuvanshi travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon. Just twelve days later, Raja was dead. His body was found in the wilderness near Wei Sawdong Falls, brutally hacked and thrown into a gorge.

The truth was even more horrifying than the Rajasthan case.

Sonam, along with her lover Raj Kushwaha, a former worker at her family business, had planned Raja’s murder in advance. During the honeymoon, three hired killers attacked Raja with machetes, killing him in cold blood while Sonam was present.

To erase digital traces, Raja’s phone was switched off and his body disposed of in a remote gorge.

Days later, Sonam surfaced at a dhaba in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, where she was taken into custody. Kushwaha and the hired killers were also arrested.

When Marriage Becomes a Death Trap

The similarities between the two cases are impossible to ignore:

• Newlywed husbands murdered within months or days of marriage

• Wives involved in plotting the crime

• Lovers acting as co-conspirators

• Attempts to disguise murder as accidents

• Complete disregard for human life

These are not crimes of passion or sudden rage. These are calculated, premeditated murders.

What makes them especially repulsive is the betrayal of trust. Marriage is meant to be a bond of safety, not a death sentence. Yet, in these cases, the very person expected to protect became the architect of destruction.

The Rot Beneath the Surface

These incidents force society to confront uncomfortable truths.

How did we reach a point where murder feels easier than separation?

Why is deceit chosen over dignity, and violence over legal recourse?

Divorce, annulment, and separation exist for a reason. No marriage—arranged or love-based—justifies taking a life. Yet, the growing pattern of such crimes suggests a moral decay where convenience trumps conscience.

Every such incident further erodes public faith in the institution of marriage, turning what should be sacred into something increasingly viewed with suspicion and fear.

A Family Destroyed, A Society Shamed

Beyond headlines and police briefings lies a family devastated beyond repair. Ashish’s life was stolen not by fate, but by calculated betrayal. His parents lost a son, his family lost a future, and society lost yet another reason to believe in human decency.

These crimes are not just individual failures—they are collective moral failures. They reflect gaps in emotional accountability, social education, and ethical responsibility.

A Wake-Up Call We Can No Longer Ignore

“Honeymoon Murder 2.0” is not just a phrase—it is a warning.

If society continues to normalize emotional dishonesty, suppress healthy conflict resolution, and treat human relationships as disposable, such incidents will not remain rare anomalies. They will become patterns.

Marriage cannot survive if trust is replaced by treachery and vows are discarded for convenience. Until we address the deeper social and psychological failures behind such crimes, the institution will continue to bleed—one horrifying case at a time.

Ashish deserved a life.

Marriage deserves dignity.

And society deserves better than this slow, sickening moral collapse.

With inputs from agencies

Image Source: Multiple agencies

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