AN RTO Inspector Meenakshi Gokhale, posted in Datia was found dead with severe head injuries inside a rented house in Lake Pearl Colony under Khajuri Sadak police station limits on Monday morning. A blood-stained hammer was recovered near her body. Her acquaintance, Pawan Kumar Dwivedi, a resident of Sidhi district, was later found hanging from a tree around 20 metres from the house. Police suspect that Dwivedi killed the woman following a dispute and later died by suicide. The exact sequence of events is being investigated. Friend found body in the morning: DCP Adarshkant Shukla said the woman had arrived in Bhopal from Datia around 7 pm on Sunday with her friend Kritika and her threeyear-old daughter. Kritika and the child slept in an inner room. Around 7 am on Monday, Kritika woke up and found the woman lying dead in the outer room before alerting police. Attack suspected in courtyard:Police suspect the assault took place in the courtyard of the house. Investigators said the woman was allegedly attacked with a hammer before her body was dragged into the first room and the door was locked from outside. Police said a search of Dwivedi’s body did not yield a suicide note. A bank passbook was reportedly recovered from his pocket.

 

Police and forensic teams examined both locations, while the post-mortem reports are expected to help establish the sequence of events. Relationship dates back to Indore: Police said that the woman and Dwivedi had known each other since their days in Indore. At the time, Dwivedi was reportedly running coaching classes while the woman was preparing for competitive examinations. Police said the two had wanted to marry, but her family was reportedly opposed to the relationship. Marriage later ended in divorce: The woman subsequently married another man, but the marriage ended in divorce around one-and-a-half to two years ago, according to information available to police. Dwivedi was reportedly still seeking marriage with her. Dispute over relationship suspected: Police suspect an argument may have broken out between the two late on Sunday over their relationship and marriage. Investigators suspect Dwivedi allegedly attacked her with the hammer following the dispute before later hanging himself. Woman had come for belongings: The woman was reportedly staying at the house during her visits to Bhopal. Police said she had come on Sunday with her daughter and friend and was planning to travel to Indore. She had reportedly visited the house to collect her belongings. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and sent both bodies for postmortem examination at Hamidia Hospital.