Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh was in for a shock after a chilling murder case emerged from there on Friday. Skeletal remains of a man, who had gone missing for 10 days, were recovered from a forest pit recently, after which the police learnt his friend murdered him, buried the body, and later pledged his gold jewellery to secure a loan.

Victim went missing from Malawar area

According to police, the victim named Golu Valmiki, had vanished from the Malawar area, after which his family and locals began searching for him frantically. The murder mystery unravelled on Wednesday, when police arrested his friend, Raghuveer Soundhiya and recovered Golu’s skeletal remains upon his disclosure. 

Sequence of events

Investigating police personnel said that Raghuveer killed Golu, removed the gold murki (earrings) worn by him, and concealed his body in a pit deep inside a forest area to prevent it from the sight of the passers-by. He later pledged them at a branch of AU bank to secure a loan of Rs 40,000 by means of gold finance. 

The cops are suspecting that the act was premeditated, and Raghuveer allegedly worked to erase evidence, as well as benefit financially from the crime. 

Accused joins search to avoid suspicion

In an unsettling development, Raghuveer allegedly attempted to deflect suspicion by participating in the search for Golu. Golu’s kin said that on the day of the incident, Raghuveer showed up at their house and enquired about Golu’s whereabouts. Upon being told that Golu had headed towards the grazing fields, Raghuveer followed in the same direction.

However, Golu never returned home. Later, his family members found his goats abandoned at the site, prompting concern. 

Family alleges inaction by local police

Golu’s relatives have accused the local police of failing to act in time despite repeated warnings and suspicions raised against Raghuveer. They claimed Raghuveer was questioned by cops for a brief period and was released, even as the family continued to press for stricter action.

Later, the family approached the CM Helpline number, seeking urgent intervention. It was only after senior police officials stepped in that the probe gained pace. During Raghuveer’s sustained interrogation, he broke down and confessed to the crime. Acting upon his disclosure, police teams rushed to the scene and exhumed Golu’s skeleton remains. The police said blood-stained clothes were also recovered from there, strengthening the case against Raghuveer. He was taken into custody thereafter.

The cops added that the remains have been sent to state capital Bhopal for post-mortem examination to establish forensic details, while a probe is underway to piece together the sequence of events and determine the possible role of other people in the crime.