In Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, a newlywed couple, Pradeep and Shivani, were found dead inside their locked bedroom on the morning of March 9, 2025, following their wedding on March 7. Initial assumptions suggested possible drug overdose, but postmortem and forensic investigations revealed that Pradeep strangled Shivani to death around 3:30 AM on their wedding night after receiving an unsettling phone message. According to medical reports, Shivani attempted to resist, leaving scratch marks on Pradeep's fingers, but succumbed within three minutes. Forensic evidence indicated Pradeep remained alive for 45 to 50 minutes after killing Shivani, pacing the room in panic before taking his own life. Police discovered a knife with no bloodstains in the room and confirmed that an incoming text message—reading in part, 'How are you? Leaving me was not right'—triggered the violent outburst. Investigators are currently tracking an unidentified third party who sent the message or may have attempted blackmail.
Country: India
State/Province: Uttar Pradesh, India
City/Region: Ayodhya
Incident Type: Murder-Suicide
Relationship Status: Married
Relationship Duration: 2 days
Incident Date: March 9, 2025
Relationship Origins:
Relationship Stages:
Contributing Factors:
Red Flags:
Motives:
Relationship Outcomes:
How the relationship or connection began.
2 days
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
Contributing factors and possible motives from the available sources.
2025-03-09
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Crime Tak - India
Jealousy
The incident reflects a sudden, lethal outburst triggered by suspicion of past romance or extra-marital contact right after marriage rituals. Following intimate relations on their wedding night, an unexpected message received on Pradeep's phone provoked acute jealousy and rage. After violently strangling his wife, the offender experienced a post-homicidal panic lasting 45 to 50 minutes before committing suicide.
Police and forensic teams conducted postmortem examinations confirming Shivani died of forceful strangulation with scratch marks indicating defense attempts, while Pradeep died approximately 50 minutes later by suicide. Investigators recovered a clean knife from the room and analyzed phone messages. Police are actively tracking an unidentified third person who sent the message ('How are you? Leaving me was not right') or attempted potential blackmail/extortion.
Initial confusion arose when family members broke into the bedroom and assumed both had suffered accidental poisoning or drug overdose. Media claims also speculated whether Pradeep sent the message to his own phone to test Shivani's fidelity. The official investigation clarified that the strangulation was homicide followed by suicide, and a third party's involvement in sending the message remains under active police inquiry.
After retiring to their room around 12:30 AM on March 9, the couple engaged in intimacy before Shivani fell asleep around 3:00 AM. A incoming text message disrupted Pradeep, who paced the room in extreme anger before mounting the bed and strangling Shivani at 3:30 AM. Shivani attempted defense, leaving scratches on Pradeep's hands, but died within three minutes. Pradeep paced for 45-50 minutes contemplating apprehension before taking his own life. The bodies were discovered after family members forced the window and door open around 8:00-9:00 AM.
The rapid transition from public happiness on the wedding day to fatal violence highlights how unverified external disclosures or sudden romantic jealousy can create acute lethal danger in high-stress domestic settings. The absence of prior physical violence history obscured early warning signs from family members.
Digital communications and unexpected third-party interference can serve as potent triggers for acute domestic homicide-suicide. Postmortem timing and forensic room analysis were essential in dispelling early drug-overdose theories and establishing the homicide-suicide sequence.
No prior overt physical abuse was reported by neighbors or family; Pradeep appeared happy and cheerful about the marriage. The primary preceding signal was Pradeep's desire to purchase a separate new phone for Shivani and suspicious communication patterns.
Key clues included scratch marks on Pradeep's fingers, blue discoloration and nail imprints on Shivani's neck, scattered clothes and a chair indicating a struggle, and incoming WhatsApp/SMS messages on Pradeep's device.
Strongest evidence included postmortem findings of death by strangulation, forensic analysis of the death timeline showing a 50-minute gap between deaths, text message records from Dainik Bhaskar/police, and the clean knife recovered at the scene.
Follow-up reports corrected initial assumptions of drug poisoning, establishing homicide by strangulation followed by suicide. Reports confirmed police were investigating a confidential third-party message.
The identity and motive of the third party who sent the text message remain undisclosed by police to avoid compromising the search for the suspect.