Man brutally assaulted by wife, her brothers; rescued from being buried alive in forest

By Sumesh Rajan | August 4, 2025

Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA: In a shocking case of alleged domestic violence and attempted murder, a man was found in critical condition in a forest in Bareilly after reportedly being assaulted by his wife and her brothers, who then tried to bury him alive.

The incident took place on the night of July 21 in the Izzatnagar police station area. The victim, Rajiv, who works as a personal assistant to a doctor at Navodaya Hospital in Bareilly, was allegedly attacked by a group of 11 people — including his wife, Sadhana, and her five brothers, identified as Bhagwan Das, Premraj, Harish, Laxman, and one unidentified person.

According to Rajiv's statement to the police, the attackers broke into his house at night and beat him with iron rods and sticks, fracturing both his legs and one of his arms. The group then transported him to a forested area in CB Ganj, where they began digging a pit to bury him alive.

However, the alleged murder attempt was thwarted when an unidentified bystander arrived at the scene, startling the attackers and forcing them to flee. The bystander immediately called an ambulance and helped shift Rajiv to a private hospital, where he is now undergoing treatment.

In his complaint, Rajiv accused his wife of making multiple previous attempts on his life. He claimed that Sadhana had once tried to poison him and, on another occasion, mixed crushed glass into his food. Despite informing her family about these incidents, no action was taken, he said.

“My wife has tried to kill me multiple times. She poisoned my food once and mixed glass in it another time. I informed her family, but they dismissed my concerns,” Rajiv told the police. “She wanted a divorce. We had disputes, but I never imagined she would try to kill me with her brothers.”

The couple, married since 2009, has two sons aged 14 and 8. Rajiv’s elder son corroborated his father’s allegations, telling police that he had witnessed his mother mixing poison into his father’s food and had seen his maternal uncles taking his father away the night of the assault.

“My parents often fought. I remember once seeing my mother try to poison my father. On the night of the attack, my uncles came, beat him, and took him away,” the 14-year-old said.

Following the incident, Rajiv’s father, Netram, filed a formal complaint at Izzatnagar police station. An FIR has been registered against Sadhana and her brothers under charges of attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. Police are investigating the case and efforts are underway to arrest the accused.

This chilling episode has shocked the local community, raising serious questions about domestic abuse and the lengths to which family disputes can escalate.