Family had disowned woman, who murdered live-in partner in New Delhi

NEW DELHI: More information about Amrita Chauhan, the live-in partner arrested in the murder of civil services aspirant Ramkesh Meena, have emerged. Amrita Chauhan committed the murder with the help of her ex-boyfriend Sumit Kashyap and friend Sandeep Kumar.

22-year-old Amrita, a forensic student, was rejected by her family a year ago. On July 8, 2024, the family had given a newspaper advertisement stating that they were severing ties with their daughter. A copy of this was also submitted by the police to the court as evidence against Amrita. This evidence strengthened the arguments against the accused in Ramkesh Meena's murder.

The charred body of Ramkesh Meena was found in the fire in a fourth-floor flat in Gandhi Vihar in Delhi. CCTV footage showed two masked men entering the building where the accident occurred and leaving before the fire broke out. A woman also came out with them. The police later identified her as Amrita Chauhan.

Delhi Police said that Amrita, a BSc forensic science student, had been living with Ramkesh since May. Amrita has stated that he secretly recorded her private videos and refused to delete them despite repeated requests, which led to the murder. She then planned the murder with her ex-boyfriend Sumit. They also had their friend Sandeep Kumar along for help.

Investigating officers later found that the blast was deliberately done to cover up the murder. ‘The accused suffocated Meena, poured ghee, oil and liquor on his body, then opened the gas cylinder valve and set him on fire. They locked the flat from inside through a small hole in the window to make it look like a mistake,’ said DCP Raja Banthia. He added that Amrita's forensic training helped mislead the investigating officers.

While it was initially suspected that it was an air conditioner explosion, the manner in which the fire broke out and CCTV evidence raised suspicions. Amrita's mobile location and call records were checked, which showed that she was near the accident site.

Amrita was arrested by the police on October 18. During interrogation, she confessed to the crime and narrated how she and her accomplices killed Meena and set the flat on fire. Later, on October 21, the police arrested Sumit and on October 23, Sandeep were arrested and a hard disk, a trolley bag, two mobile phones and Meena's shirt were recovered.

Officials say Amrita's fascination with crime web series and her academic background gave her the confidence to commit the murder.