NEW DELHI: A woman in Gujarat’s Patan district allegedly killed a man with the help of her lover, dressed the corpse in her clothes, and set it on fire in a bid to fake her own death, police said on Wednesday, according to news agency PTI. The charred body was discovered near a pond on the outskirts of Jakhotra village in Santalpur taluka late Tuesday night. Initially mistaken for 22-year-old Geeta Ahir, the body was later identified as that of 56-year-old Harjibhai Solanki, a nomadic resident of nearby Vauva village. Geeta and her 21-year-old partner Bharat Ahir were arrested early Wednesday from Palanpur railway station, where they were allegedly waiting to board a train to Rajasthan.
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“Geeta, who lives with her husband in Jakhotra, devised the plan after watching the film ‘Drishyam’,” said Patan Superintendent of Police V K Nayi. “She convinced her lover to help her find a dead body so they could fake her death and flee together.”According to police, Geeta left home on Tuesday night while her family was asleep. When her husband and other relatives began searching for her, they found a half-burnt body lying near a pond on the outskirts of the village. “Since Geeta’s ghagra (long traditional skirt) and her anklets were found on the body, her kin initially thought that it was Geeta’s body. However, after bringing the body home, they found that the deceased was a man,” Nayi said. Police launched a murder investigation and identified the deceased as Solanki. “Bharat spotted Solanki on May 26 and offered him a lift. He then strangled him at a secluded location and transported the body to the pond area,” said Nayi. Geeta allegedly met Bharat at the site with petrol. The couple dressed Solanki in her clothes and set the body alight before heading to Palanpur station. “They admitted to the crime during interrogation,” the official said. Both suspects remain in custody as the investigation continues.