Disguised as sadhu, man bludgeons estranged wife to death

 

By Sumesh Rajan | August 7, 2025

New Delhi, INDIA: In a chilling case of domestic violence turned deadly, a 60-year-old man allegedly murdered his estranged wife with a hammer after arriving from Bihar disguised as a sadhu. The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday August 6 in South Delhi’s Neb Sarai locality.

The accused, identified as Pramod Kumar Jha, had been living separately from his wife, Kiran Jha (50), for nearly a decade. Police said he gained access to her home by pretending to be a holy man, before launching the brutal attack.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said the police received a PCR call around 4:09 am informing them about the murder. A team rushed to the scene in Bank Colony, Deoli village, and found the victim lying in a pool of blood inside her home with multiple head injuries.

Kiran, a native of Darbhanga, Bihar, worked as a patient caregiver and lived in Delhi with her son Durgesh, daughter-in-law Komal, and three-year-old granddaughter. Her daughter, Roma, lives nearby.

According to preliminary investigation, Pramod had travelled from his village, Chidiabad in Bihar’s Munger district, last Friday. He stayed at Kiran’s home under the guise of a sadhu, claiming to have reformed after years of alcohol addiction and abusive behaviour, which earlier led to the couple's separation.

Roma told police that her father had repeatedly abused her mother during their marriage. Despite a recent family visit to Bihar for a funeral—where Pramod appeared to have given up violence—Kiran refused to reconcile or return with him. “Taking advantage of our trust, he stayed with us and killed my mother when she again declined to go back with him,” Roma alleged.

Investigators recovered the murder weapon — a hammer — from the room. Forensic teams examined the scene and lifted crucial evidence. CCTV footage from a nearby government-installed camera showed Pramod changing his clothes and exiting the premises around 12:50 am.

Police suspect the murder was premeditated. “The accused had no stable source of income and had even sold off his ancestral property. He had been pressuring Kiran to return to Bihar and earn money,” DCP Chauhan said.

After the attack, Pramod fled the scene and remains absconding. Police have launched a manhunt and are scanning railway stations, bus terminals, and tracking local leads to trace his whereabouts.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Neb Sarai Police Station. Further investigation is underway.