Rajesh Chauhan Disappearance Involving Imran Mansouri and Puja Chauhan, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
This source-based behavioral analysis does not establish a clinical diagnosis, motive, or legal finding.
This case involves a fatal culmination of intimate partner betrayal, situational cohabitation strain, and pre-meditated homicide. After receiving assistance and housing, the offender formed an extramarital relationship with the victim's wife. When confronted with the threat of expulsion and exposure, both offenders prioritized preserving their relationship through deliberate, violent elimination of the husband.
The domestic dynamic transitioned rapidly from altruistic support of a friend to covert romantic betrayal within the victim's own household. Opportunistic shift timings allowed prolonged unmonitored contact between Puja and Imran, escalating into emotional attachment and shared criminal intent when challenged by the victim.
Homelessness assistance lead to cohabitation, followed by secret infidelity during opposite work shifts. Husband noticed behavioral shifts and requested move-out, triggering fear of separation, joint homicide conspiracy, lethal violence during drinking, staging, false reporting, and CCTV detection.
Each entry separates the reported behavior or state from the analytical strength of the available narration.
| Behavior / construct | Person / subject | Detailed case context | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infidelity or competing attachment Relationship stressor | Puja Chauhan SuspectWife of the victim |
Puja engaged in a prolonged extra-marital affair with Imran inside the family residence. She disregarded her marital obligations and hid the relationship from her husband while raising three young children. Context or trigger: Co-residence with her husband's friend during daytime hours when her husband was at work. Reported expression: Engaged in an illicit extramarital relationship while residing under the same roof as her husband. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
| Separation or abandonment threat Loss or threat | Puja Chauhan SuspectWife of the victim |
When Rajesh instructed Imran to leave the home, Puja experienced severe anxiety over the prospect of losing her romantic partner. Rather than accepting separation or requesting divorce, she aligned with Imran in a murder plot. Context or trigger: Rajesh instructing Imran to find separate accommodation and leave the home. Reported expression: Restlessness, fear, and willingness to participate in homicide to avoid losing contact. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
| Premeditation and planning Planning or impulsivity | Imran Mansouri SuspectFriend of the victim |
Imran engineered a farewell drinking session as a trap to incapacitate Rajesh. He coordinated with Puja to strangulate Rajesh, use an axe, clean up bloodstains, wrap the body, and move it under cover of night. Context or trigger: Impending expulsion from the house and financial inability to secure separate rental housing. Reported expression: Deceptive farewell party invitation, preparation of weapons, and coordination of body disposal. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
| Detection avoidance or evasion Post-offense behavior | Case-wide |
Following the killing, both offenders thoroughly cleaned the residence to erase blood spatter, changed their clothes, transported the victim's wrapped body on a motorcycle to a creek, and subsequently appeared at a police station to file a misleading missing person complaint. Context or trigger: Post-homicide necessity to prevent discovery of the crime scene and victim's body. Reported expression: Cleaning bloodstains, changing clothes, dumping body in a creek, and filing a false missing person report. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
| Situational vulnerability Victim vulnerability | Rajesh Chauhan VictimHusband of the offender |
Rajesh's empathy and trust toward his village friend placed him in a vulnerable position inside his own home. His lack of suspicion regarding the farewell party allowed the offenders to attack him while intoxicated. Context or trigger: Trusting an old friend and providing him shelter in his home. Reported expression: Unawareness of domestic betrayal and vulnerability during an intimate drinking session. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
| Co-offender facilitation Offender behavior | Case-wide |
Puja and Imran acted in tandem throughout the conspiracy, execution, and concealment stages. Their mutual reinforcement enabled them to carry out a violent homicide and attempt police misdirection. Context or trigger: Shared threat of relationship dissolution and joint goal of removing the husband. Reported expression: Joint physical execution of strangulation, assault, crime scene cleanup, and body transport. |
Narrative-supported psychological state Confidence: High |
Select a stage to expand it; scroll horizontally to follow the full sequence.
Rajesh provided shelter and food to his destitute friend Imran, bringing him into his family home in Mumbai.
Opportunistic shift schedules allowed Imran and Puja to initiate a secret extramarital affair within the marital home.
Rajesh detected behavioral anomalies and requested Imran to find his own housing and move out.
Offenders staged a farewell drinking session, strangulated Rajesh, assaulted him with an axe, and dumped his body in a creek before filing a false report.
Arrows show the sequence described in the source narrative; they do not prove that one psychological state caused the next event.
Analysis relies entirely on secondary journalistic crime reporting and public police summary statements. No formal clinical psychiatric evaluations of Imran Mansouri or Puja Chauhan are reported in the source text.