Investigation Reveals Bride‑to‑Be Used as Pretext in Ranchi Murder

The latest update on the Ranchi homicide case shows that the bride‑to‑be ruse was central to the murder plan. Sanjay Lohra, a resident of Manjur police station, was discovered on June 19 with his head removed and the rest of his body burned in a forest near Bundu.

Rural Superintendent of Police Gaurav Goswami said the police identified the victim through a tattoo on his right wrist and extensive forensic analysis. The investigation revealed that Subodhni Devi, the wife of the deceased, had been maintaining an extramarital relationship with Raman Kumar Seth for about two years.

When Lohra discovered the affair, he opposed it, which led Subodhni and Raman to devise a lethal scheme. Using a wedding ceremony scheduled for June 18 in Sonahatu as a cover story, Subodhni allegedly convinced her husband to travel to the event.

At the venue, Raman and his two accomplices reportedly attacked Lohra with wooden sticks, resulting in his death. They then moved the body in an auto to a dense forest, where they doused the torso with petrol and set it on fire. The head was hidden in a pit close to the Rani Van forest in Sunardih.

Seventeen days later, authorities, aided by a magistrate and forensic experts, recovered the severed head and seized the vehicle, a motorcycle, two mobile phones and a sharp weapon linked to the crime. Subodhni Devi and Raman Kumar Seth have been arrested; police continue to search for two more suspects involved in the plot.