A woman believed to have been murdered and subsequently cremated in 2023 has come back alive to her home, months after her ‘death’, while four men accused of ‘murdering’ her are presently in jail in Madhya Pradesh.

The bewildering incident has been reported from a village in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh today.

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According to the officials of Mandsaur police, the woman, Lalita Bai (35) is a mother of two children.

Mandsaur SP Abhishek Anand said that Lalita Bai came to Gandhi Sagar police station in Mandsaur district and told that a case of her ‘murder’ is registered at Thandla police station in Jhabua district of MP.

The SP said that when Mandsaur police verified the facts, the Jhabua police confirmed that a case of murder of Lalita Bai was registered about 18 months ago and the woman’s parents had identified her body and later that body was cremated too.

The official added that four persons are currently in jail on charges of ‘murdering’ Lalita Bai.

The SP said that all the details of the recent reemergence of the woman have been provided to the Jhabua police and her statements would be recorded afresh. He said the Jhabua police would carry out the further formalities in the matter, as the case is registered there.

Meanwhile, Lalita Bai’s father, Ramesh Nanuram Baanchda said that in 2023, he had identified his ‘daughter’s’ head-less body on the basis of a tattoo on her right hand and a black thread tied on her ankle.

He said the family had even performed the last rites of the body and also carried out the community programmes done after a person’s death.
Lalita Bai said that she had been living with a person named Shahrukh for about 10 years in Bhanpura in Mandsaur district. She claimed that she has two children with Shahrukh.

She alleged that Shahrukh sold her for Rs five lakh to another man also named Shahrukh in Kota in Rajasthan.

Lalita Bai said she somehow managed to escape from Kota and reached her parent’s house in Mandsaur. She further claimed that she was confined in a house in Kota and had no access to a mobile phone in all these months and so she could not contact anyone for help.

According to SP Abhishek Anand, all the four persons accused of ‘murdering’ Lalita Bai are from Bhanpura in Mandsaur. They are currently lodged in jail.

One of the four accused is also named Shahrukh, while the other three are Ejaz, Imran and Sonu.

Sources said that subsequent to Lalita Bai’s returning alive, all four accused have filed a petition in the court demanding their release.

The police are now trying to ascertain the real identity of the murdered and subsequently cremated woman who was till now being believed to be Lalita Bai. The police would also have to reinvestigate that woman’s blind murder and find the culprits.