Man Kills Live-In Partner, Stores Body in Fridge for 8 Months in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: A married man in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas killed a woman who had been pressuring him for marriage and hiding her body in a fridge for about eight months.

The woman's decomposed body, clad in a saree and wearing jewelry, was discovered on Friday inside a refrigerator in a house rented by the suspect, Sanjay Patidar. Her hands were tied, and a noose was found around her neck.

The accused, Sanjay Patidar, was arrested within hours on Friday and confessed to killing his live-in partner, Pinky Prajapat, with the help of an accomplice.

The gruesome secret was revealed after blood seeped from the refrigerator in a rented house in Vrindavan Dham Colony.

The incident came to light when Balveer Thakur, a tenant occupying the rear portion of the house, broke the lock of the front room under instructions from the landlord. Balveer’s wife found the blood and foul smell while cleaning the room on Friday morning. The refrigerator, which had been left running, contained the decomposed body. The police were immediately informed.

The house had been rented by Sanjay Patidar until March 2024. While leaving, he left some belongings in the front room, promising to pay rent, which he eventually defaulted on. Patidar occasionally visited the property, but neither the landlord nor the neighbors suspected anything unusual.

During police interrogation, Sanjay admitted to murdering Pinky in January 2024 after she pressured him to marry her. Already married, he conspired with his friend, Vinod Dave, to kill her. The two allegedly strangled Pinky, tied her hands and feet, and placed her body in the refrigerator. They sealed the fridge and left it running to hide the evidence. Sanjay occasionally returned to ensure the fridge stayed working.

The investigation revealed that Sanjay’s accomplice, Vinod Dave, was arrested in an irrelevant case in Rajasthan and is currently in jail. Dewas police are working on getting his custody for further questioning. Preliminary inquiries also suggested Sanjay’s possible involvement in a “bride scam gang,” though this remains unconfirmed.

The investigation also indicated that Sanjay and Pinky had been in a live-in relationship for five years. Police have not yet traced Pinky’s family and are continuing to investigate the case for additional leads.

Landlord Dheerendra Srivastava and local residents expressed shock at the incident, describing Sanjay as a reserved individual who rarely interacted with others.

The Dewas police, under SP Puneet Gehlot, are committed to finding more details about the crime, including potential links to other criminal activities.