Beautician’s murder: Mystery deepens as family refuses to cooperate with cops

Jaipur: Mystery continues to shroud the death of beautician 50-year-old Anita Choudhary, even 22 days after she was brutally murdered, dismembered, and buried in the backyard of a house in Jodhpur.The police arrested the main accused, Gulamuddin, and his wife, Abida Parveen, but the motive behind the gruesome crime remains unclear. The victim's family has refused to cooperate with the local police, insisting that they will only provide their statements to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).In response, the local administration has promised to recommend a CBI probe to resolve the deadlock. However, no formal recommendation has been made yet, leaving uncertainty over whether the agency will take up the case."We will send the CBI probe request as promised to the PHQ. It will then be forwarded to the home department, which will recommend the CBI to take up the case. Ultimately, it will be up to the investigating agency to decide whether to take up the case," said a senior officer of the Jodhpur police commissionerate.Sources revealed that the police have been unable to search the beauty parlour or the house of the deceased in Sardarpura. The police suspect that crucial evidence related to the murder might be hidden in these locations. However, the victim's husband and son have refused to allow the police to conduct the searches.Anita's family has also refused to record their statements with the local police. Moreover, no witnesses have come forward to provide testimony. Despite repeated notices from the police, the family has chosen not to cooperate in the investigation."More than 12 notices have been served to the family members, including her husband and son, but they have refused to record their statements, insisting that they will do so only after the CBI takes over the probe. This delay is due to procedural requirements," said the officer.According to the police, after an FIR is filed, preliminary investigations, including a postmortem, site inspections, and witness statements, are crucial steps in building the case."Whatever action we have taken so far is based on the FIR registered by the husband. However, we still need to inspect the victim's house and beauty parlour, which we have not been allowed to access. We also need to record the family's statements, which are vital for building a strong case and presenting the chargesheet in court," explained another police officer.He further added that when the chargesheet is filed, it must establish a chain of circumstantial evidence. "For instance, we need to establish when Anita left home on the day of the crime, what she told the family, and other such details. These can only be confirmed through the statements of her husband and other family members," said the officer.The lack of cooperation and incomplete formalities have significantly delayed the investigation. The police are yet not clear even about the motive. "It has come up during preliminary investigation that robbing the victim of her gold ornaments could be the motive behind the murder, but the involvement of some other people has also come up. This includes some land transactions and an audio between the victim's husband and her friend. These are yet to be clarified," said the officer.He added that the police would continue to investigate the case until the CBI takes up the probe.
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