‘Tie him up & shock him’: Chats expose plot to murder husband
New Delhi: A man in Delhi’s Dwarka was allegedly drugged and electrocuted to death by his wife and her lover—who is also his cousin—following a premeditated plot revealed through over 90 Instagram messages, police said on Sunday.
The victim, 36-year-old Karan, died on July 13. A call was made to the police control room from Mata Rooprani Maggo Hospital reporting his death. Suspicion arose when his wife, Sushmita, and her alleged lover Rahul, the son of Karan’s uncle, insisted that a post-mortem should not be conducted. Karan’s brother, Kunal Dev, later accessed Instagram chats between the two, exposing the murder plan.
According to police, Sushmita and Rahul had been in a relationship for two years. They used Instagram to communicate, possibly relying on its disappearing messages feature to avoid detection. In one message, Sushmita reportedly said, “Itni goliyaan de chuki hoon, fir bhi kuch nahi ho raha... ab current hi dena padega” (I’ve given him so many pills and nothing’s happening... now we’ll have to use electric shock). Rahul allegedly responded: “Uske haath pair tape se baandh dena, phir current lagana” (Tie his hands and legs with tape, then give the shock).
Kunal told police that the couple had moved to a nearby rented house after living with the joint family. On the night of the incident, Sushmita allegedly gave Karan 15 sleeping pills mixed in curd and water. When this failed, she contacted Rahul, who brought an electric wire and applied shocks to Karan’s hands and chest. Karan was later rushed to hospital by family members and declared dead on arrival, with electrocution cited as the cause.
Police said the couple had allegedly attempted to drug Karan before and were researching ways to kill him. Both Sushmita and Rahul have confessed to planning the murder over several weeks. They have been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy and remanded to judicial custody. Forensic reports are awaited.
Kunal also claimed that the family is receiving threats from Rahul’s father. “We want strict action and justice,” he said, adding that their six-year-old son, who was not at home during the incident, now lives with them. Police are continuing their investigation and examining digital evidence linked to the case.
