Abducted, robbed and dumped into canal: Man cheats death to expose murder plan by wife, her lover

VADODARA: What seemed like a botched robbery has taken a dark turn, with police uncovering a chilling plot in which a pan parlour owner's wife and her lover allegedly planned to have him killed — a plan that failed when the victim survived against all odds.The Chhani police had registered an FIR on April 8 based on a complaint by Girish Patel, who was abducted by unidentified men. However, a detailed probe uncovered that Patel's wife, Falguni, had allegedly conspired with her lover, Kaushik Sharma, to eliminate him.Police said Falguni and Sharma were in a relationship and wanted to be together. "They planned the kidnapping with the intention of murdering Patel," an officer said.On April 7, Patel was returning home on his two-wheeler after closing his pan parlour in the Harni area. On Chhani-Sokhda Road, a car rammed his vehicle, causing him to fall. The occupants of the car then abducted him and assaulted him inside the vehicle.The accused also robbed him of his wallet, mobile phone and cash. Patel told police that he was taken to multiple ATM kiosks, where his debit card was used to withdraw money.The gang then drove to Anand and stopped on a canal bridge, where Patel was thrown into the water, allegedly in an attempt to kill him. Believing him to be dead, the accused fled the scene.However, Patel survived by clinging to a pillar beneath the bridge. At daybreak, he raised an alarm and was rescued by locals.Using CCTV footage, police identified a man who had been trailing Patel on the day of the incident. He was later identified as 23-year-old Rudrakumar Raval, who told investigators he was passing information about Patel's movements to another accused Narendra Goswami.Further investigation led police to Sharma. An examination of his mobile phone revealed chats and photographs with Falguni, exposing their relationship. Police said the two were previously engaged but could not marry, after which Falguni wed Patel. The relationship later resumed, culminating in the alleged conspiracy.The duo allegedly hired a man identified as Nikunj, who is absconding, paying him Rs 35,000 to carry out the crime.So far, seven persons, including Falguni and Sharma, have been arrested in connection with the case.