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Four members of a family, including a former sarpanch, were allegedly murdered by his first wife and her teenage son and daughter, after which their bodies were set on fire inside an SUV in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, police said on Thursday.

Police said they received information around 5.30 am about a Scorpio vehicle that had caught fire with several people trapped inside. (PTI)The incident took place at Shri Rampura village under the Borada police station area in the early hours of Thursday.

Police said they received information around 5.30 am about a Scorpio vehicle that had caught fire with several people trapped inside. On reaching the spot, officials found three charred bodies inside the SUV, while another woman was discovered in a semi-burnt condition in a nearby field. She later died during treatment.

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The deceased were identified as former sarpanch Ram Singh Choudhary (45), his mother and former sarpanch Pusi Devi (85), his second wife Surgyan Devi (40), and niece Mahima.

Police alleged that the accused slit the throats of all four victims inside the house using a sharp-edged agricultural weapon.

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Ajmer superintendent of police Harshvardhan Agrawala said, “Ram Singh’s first wife, 40-year-old Sunita, has been arrested, while her 16-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter have been taken into custody for their alleged role in the killings."

Police alleged that diesel was siphoned from a tractor before the Scorpio SUV was driven nearly 500 metres away from the house and set on fire in an attempt to make the deaths appear like a road accident.

Police said Ram Singh had married Sunita in 2004 and later married Surgyan Devi in 2019. Investigators believe tensions within the family increased after the second marriage.

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“Preliminary investigation revealed that Ram Singh allegedly subjected his first wife and children to physical and mental harassment for years. He had assaulted them again on Wednesday night, after which the accused allegedly planned the murders,” the SP added.

Investigators said suspicion grew after the accused allegedly gave contradictory statements and their behaviour appeared unusual after the incident. According to police, Sunita was allegedly pretending to cry, while her son was seen calmly drinking tea and none of them initially approached the crime scene.