In Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, 25-year-old businessman Dilip Yadav was shot and mortally wounded on March 19, 2025, dying two days later on March 21, 2025. Investigations revealed that his wife of 15 days, Pragati Yadav, masterminded the plot alongside her long-time lover, Anurag Yadav (alias Manoj). Pragati had been forced into an arranged marriage with Dilip—the brother of her sister's husband—despite maintaining a 4-year affair with Anurag. Exploiting Dilip's family wealth, Pragati and Anurag conspired to murder Dilip, seize his property, and live together. Pragati allegedly provided ₹1 lakh received as wedding face-revealing gifts (muh dikhai) to Anurag to hire a contract killer, Ram Ji Nagar (alias Ram Ji Chaudhary), a released convict with 10 prior criminal charges. On March 19, 2025, Pragati tracked Dilip's movements via WhatsApp location sharing. Anurag and Ram Ji lured Dilip under the false pretense of needing crane assistance to pull a stuck vehicle, transported him to a secluded field in Paliya village, attacked him, and shot him in the back of the head. Police identified the suspects using CCTV footage, phone call detail records, and WhatsApp chats, arresting Pragati, Anurag, and Ram Ji Nagar.
Country: India
State/Province: Uttar Pradesh, India
City/Region: Auraiya
Incident Type: Domestic Violence Homicide
Relationship Status: Married
Relationship Duration: 15 days
Incident Date: March 19, 2025
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How the relationship or connection began.
15 days
Important relationship phases recorded for this case.
Reported red flags or early concern points.
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2025-03-19
Recorded relationship or case outcome.
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Infidelity
The incident reflects a cold-blooded premeditated murder plot driven by a combination of extramarital attachment and financial greed. Pragati was pressured into an arranged marriage with Dilip, the wealthy brother of her brother-in-law, while maintaining a long-term affair with Anurag. Instead of refusing the marriage or seeking a divorce, she conspired with Anurag to marry Dilip, execute his murder, appropriate his substantial assets, and resume cohabitation as a wealthy widow.
Police rapidly cleared the case by analyzing CCTV footage along Dilip's travel route, which exposed Anurag and Ram Ji Nagar trailing the victim on a motorcycle. Technical analysis of WhatsApp call records established that Pragati solicited Dilip's live location under false pretenses and forwarded it to Anurag. All three suspects were arrested, confessed under police interrogation, and face trial as police finalize the chargesheet.
Initially, the crime scene in a field near Paliya village was staged to resemble a robbery or accident, with Dilip's vehicle damaged to suggest dacoits fired upon him when he fled. However, investigators noted that no property was stolen and subsequently tracked suspicious individuals captured on local CCTV cameras.
After marrying Dilip on March 5, 2025, Pragati returned to her maternal home on March 10 under the pretext of celebrating Holi. She handed ₹1 lakh of her muh dikhai cash gifts to Anurag as an advance payment for a contract killer. Anurag hired Ram Ji Nagar, a local criminal with 10 prior cases, for ₹2 lakh. On March 19, Pragati obtained Dilip's location via WhatsApp and relayed it to Anurag. Anurag and Ram Ji intercepted Dilip at a dhaba, lured him under the guise of pulling a stuck vehicle with his crane, led him to a isolated field, struck him, and shot him in the head.
The case illustrates an extreme escalation risk where forced or reluctant conformity to family marital expectations led to fatal violence when combined with financial opportunistic motives. Pragati used domestic access, deceitful affection, and financial assets obtained during the wedding to fund and coordinate a contract hit within two weeks of marriage.
Premeditated domestic homicide can be masked behind outward marital compliance and initial grief demonstrations. Forensic digital evidence—specifically WhatsApp call logs, live location sharing, and area CCTV tracking—proved decisive in dismantling a staged robbery narrative and establishing premeditation within days of the crime.
Pragati insisted on returning to her maternal home just four days after marriage and maintained secret, continuous communications with her ex-partner Anurag.
CCTV footage along Dilip's final travel path captured Anurag and Ram Ji Nagar riding a motorcycle in close proximity to Dilip shortly before the attack.
Key evidence includes WhatsApp location-sharing logs, call detail records between Pragati and Anurag, ₹1 lakh cash transaction proof funded by muh dikhai gifts, CCTV footage, and the recovery of a 315 bore firearm.
Dilip's elder brother Sandeep stated the family arranged the marriage believing Pragati would bring happiness as her sister had, but she destroyed the family instead. Dilip's father Suben Yadav publicly demanded the death penalty for all accused.
Follow-up police disclosures revealed that the staged robbery was a planned murder, and even Anurag's family members disowned his actions, demanding strict legal punishment.
The precise legal timeline for filing the chargesheet and trial commencement remains pending as police complete evidentiary documentation.