Indian Man jailed for Life for Staging Fiancee’s Murder

Indian man LC Raghu has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of murdering his fiancée. The woman’s death had been initially ruled as accidental after he staged it.

He murdered Chaitra three months after they got engaged in April 2009.

On July 19, 2009, Raghu had claimed his fiancée died in a motorbike accident after he said they would be visiting a temple.

Instead, he took her to an isolated area where he strangled her to death, however, Raghu made it look like she was killed in a road accident by leaving her body by the road.

Raghu also admitted himself to the hospital for the injuries he claimed to have suffered in the ‘accident’.

A relative of the victim received a phone call saying that Chaitra’s body was found on the tank bud of Agalaya. When they arrived at the spot, they notice a number of injuries.

The victim’s brother-in-law stated that the injury marks were not caused by an accident but they looked as if she had been murdered.

Investigating officers said that Chaitra had been strangled and an autopsy report also proved it.

The medical officer explained that Chaitra’s death was due to a combination of asphyxia, ligature pressure over the neck and a head injury.

Raghu, along with two others, appeared before a trial court in 2013.

CG Kumaraswamy and LC Jagadish were accused of helping Raghu stage the murder to make it look like a road accident.

The three men were acquitted of Chaitra’s murder, ruling it as an accidental death. But the victim’s relatives and state government appealed the decision before the High Court.

The case was taken to the High Court in August 2019 and the decision to acquit the Indian man of murder was reversed. He was found guilty of murdering his fiancée.

After the post-mortem was read out, the prosecution explained:

“From the above reasoning, it is a clear case of a homicidal death and accused ought to have explained the circumstances under which death of the deceased occurred.

“But it has not been done. The learned trial Judge has committed an error in acquitting the accused, and the other two who supported his claims during the trial.”

The court stated that there was no damage to the motorcycle in which Raghu and Chaitra had been travelling on.

Prosecutors argued that if an accident took place, they would be damage to the motorbike.

When convicting Raghu, the High Court stated:

“We are of the opinion that the prosecution was able to prove the case against accused Raghu.”

“The trial Judge has committed an error in considering the evidence available on record both oral and documentary and it is not in the right perspective.”

LC Raghu was sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay Rs. 1 Lakh (£1,160) to the victim’s mother.

The Times of India reported that the acquittal of Raghu’s two accomplices has been upheld.