'He Found Their Photo, Then Disappeared': Wife Kills Husband With Lover, Buries Body Under Floor; Both Get Life Imprisonment

Jagran Correspondent, Chitrakoot: The court of the Additional Sessions Judge (First/Special NDPS Act) has sentenced a woman and her lover to life imprisonment for the high-profile murder of her husband, Shivlochan Vishwakarma.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 14,000 each for murder and the destruction of evidence. While the court condemned the case as a heinous crime, it refused to impose the death penalty, stating that the case did not meet the strict legal criteria of the 'rarest of rare'.

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What Court Said?

Delivering a verdict in the eight-year-old Shivlochan Vishwakarma murder case, the court of Additional Sessions Judge First/Special NDPS Act Rahul Mishra convicted Maya Devi and Tullu Lodh, both residents of Lohda village. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 each for murder, and an additional seven years of rigorous imprisonment with a Rs 4,000 fine each for destroying evidence.

Speaking to Jagran.com, Additional District Government Advocate Ajay Kumar Singh said that both sentences will run concurrently.

How The Incident Came To Light?

The incident came to light on July 7, 2018, when the victim's brother, Moolchand Vishwakarma, filed a complaint stating that Shivlochan had been missing for six months. He accused Shivlochan's wife, Maya Devi, and Tullu Lodh, a resident of the same village, of murder and the destruction of evidence. Following this, police arrested both accused at the Karvi bus stand.

Shivlochan Murder Case

Tullu was a friend of Shivlochan and, as a result, visited his home frequently. Over time, Maya's closeness with Tullu grew. However, in November 2017, Shivlochan found a photograph of the two, leading to a heated confrontation where he beat Maya and went to sleep.

Later that night, Maya called Tullu. Together, they murdered Shivlochan, dug a deep hole inside one of the rooms with a shovel, and buried his body under the floor. She then smoothed the area with mud and cow dung.

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Following this, Tullu fled to Mumbai. Around 20 days later, under the pretext of running out of rations, Maya handed the house keys to her mother-in-law and left with her father for her parents' home in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. In June 2018, Maya also moved to Mumbai to live with Tullu.

However, on July 6, 2018, Shivlochan's mother grew suspicious after soil inside the room caved in. She told her other son, Phoolchandra, who then informed the authorities.

Upon excavating the room, police recovered Shivlochan's skeleton, which his family later identified by his clothes and a pearl necklace around his neck. After an investigation, the police filed a charge sheet against both accused, leading to their conviction by the court.

(With Inputs From Jagran.com/Hemraj Kashyap)