In Una district, Himachal Pradesh, 24-year-old Anshika Thakur was brutally murdered on the night of September 22, 2025, just two days before her scheduled societal wedding ceremony on September 24. Anshika and Indian Army soldier Pravesh Kumar had previously undergone a secret court marriage in 2022, divorced in 2023 due to family opposition from Pravesh's uncle Sanjeev, and secretly remarried in 2024. When Anshika became four months pregnant in 2025, both families agreed to conduct formal traditional wedding rituals. However, Pravesh and his uncle demanded that Anshika undergo an abortion prior to the wedding to avoid societal gossip regarding her pre-wedding pregnancy. When Anshika refused, Pravesh lured her out of her home late at night, led her 300 meters into a forested hillside, strangled her with a rope, slit her throat with a knife and a army khukri knife, and burned her body using petrol extracted from his motorcycle. Pravesh's uncle Sanjeev then drove Pravesh 250 kilometers to his army unit in Jammu to evade police. Himachal Pradesh Police tracked Pravesh down, arrested both Pravesh and Sanjeev, and recovered the hidden murder weapons and evidence from the hillside forest while keeping Pravesh restrained with iron chains attached to an officer's belt.
Country: India
State/Province: Himachal Pradesh, India
City/Region: Una
Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide
Relationship Status: Married
Relationship Duration: Approximately 3 years
Incident Date: Sept. 22, 2025
Relationship Origins:
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How the relationship or connection began.
Approximately 3 years
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
2025-09-22
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Crime Tak - India · Original language: Hindi
Army जवान ने 2 चाकू से काटा Biwi का गला,बाइक से Petrol निकाल लाश जलाई,फौजी को Police ने बांधी जंज़ीर
Family Opposition
The relationship followed a cycle of hidden legal commitment, family opposition, formal separation, renewed secret commitment, and social escalation triggered by pregnancy. Pravesh's uncle objected to the relationship and demanded an abortion to protect social honor, creating intense family pressure on Pravesh. When Anshika refused to end her pregnancy, Pravesh utilized violent tactics to eliminate her before their public wedding could take place.
Himachal Pradesh Police traced Pravesh after discovering Anshika's half-burned body and learning that her groom-to-be had fled to his army unit in Jammu 250 kilometers away. Investigators detained uncle Sanjeev, who confessed during questioning. Pravesh was arrested from his Jammu army unit under established military protocols. Police chained Pravesh securely to an Assistant Sub-Inspector's belt during a televised scene reconstruction in the rugged hillside forest, successfully searching steep terrain and recovering two knives, ropes, and a petrol container.
Initially, Pravesh attempted to utilize his military status to deny involvement, asserting that police had apprehended the wrong person. However, once police presented his uncle Sanjeev, who had already confessed under interrogation, Pravesh admitted to the crime. Police had to navigate challenging terrain and precise search grids to locate the discarded weapons thrown into dense forest growth.
On September 22, 2025, Pravesh lured Anshika out of her family home late at night. He led her 300 meters down a hillside forest path and argued with her over his demand for an abortion. When she refused, he strangled her with a rope until she lost consciousness. As she revived and questioned him, Pravesh attempted to cut her throat with a small knife, then switched to a heavy army khukri knife to complete the act. He extracted petrol from his motorcycle, set her body ablaze, destroyed her SIM card, discarded her phone and weapons into dense brush, and fled to his uncle Sanjeev. Sanjeev drove Pravesh 250 kilometers to Jammu to hide inside his army camp.
The case presented extreme danger indicators including coercive demands for forced pregnancy termination, intense pressure from extended family regarding social stigma, and access to extreme lethal violence. Pravesh's military training enhanced his capability to execute lethal force and attempt evasion across state boundaries.
Coercive demands regarding abortion and family honor combined with secret relationship dynamics can serve as critical indicators of lethal escalation. Law enforcement demonstrated effective cross-jurisdictional coordination by securing military clearance to apprehend a trained soldier, alongside meticulous physical evidence recovery in hazardous topography.
Early warning signs included intense family disapproval from Pravesh's uncle, a secret court marriage followed by a forced divorce in 2023, and escalating demands for an abortion once Anshika became pregnant in 2025.
Key clues included Anshika's disappearance late at night right before her wedding, the recovery of her half-burned body near her home, and Pravesh's sudden, suspicious 250 km departure to Jammu hours before his scheduled wedding.
Crucial evidence included the half-burned body, recovered ropes, petrol container, broken SIM card, and two murder weapons—a small knife and a military khukri knife—found in the hillside brush.
Anshika's mother stated that her family was making final wedding preparations when Anshika disappeared, and she directly accused Pravesh's family of murdering her daughter due to dissatisfaction with the marriage.
Initial reports regarding a missing bride shifted rapidly to a murder investigation when villagers located the half-burned corpse. Subsequent interrogation of Pravesh's uncle revealed Pravesh's hiding location in Jammu and exposed the pre-planned nature of the murder.
The primary legal question remaining is the final judicial trial outcome and sentencing for Pravesh Kumar and his co-accused uncle Sanjeev in court.