Jaipur: A day after arresting a man for allegedly murdering a 10-year-old girl, city police Monday arrested his live-in partner, the child’s mother, for the brutal killing.Roshan Devi (28) and her partner Mahaveer Bairwa are accused of killing Ishika, Roshan’s daughter from a previous marriage, and hiding her body in a cupboard at Mahaveer’s ancestral home in Jaitpura village in Baran district.According to Muhana police, Roshan was in a live-in relationship with Mahaveer for the past seven months. The couple lived in a rented room in Anita Colony, Sanganer. Ishika, who lived with them, was one of two daughters Roshan had with her estranged husband, Ravindra Kumar. She left the other daughter with Ravindra when she moved in with Mahaveer.Investigators said Mahaveer bore a deep grudge against Ishika, reportedly because she was the child from Roshan’s earlier marriage. The household was long a site of frequent quarrels over their respective children—Mahaveer also had a 10-year-old son, Naveen, from his first marriage with Geeta Devi.Police said the couple conspired to “remove Ishika from their path” after repeated conflicts. In a cold-blooded act, the two allegedly assaulted and strangled the girl to death.After the murder, Mahaveer transported the body to his native village in Baran and hid it inside a cupboard at his family home. However, Mahaveer’s father on Saturday opened the cupboard following a bad odour and informed Baran police, which found the body.Mahaveer was arrested on Sunday, and Roshan was taken into custody the following day. Both were booked under BNS sections related to murder and criminal conspiracy.Police officials said investigations are underway to recover forensic evidence and question other family members in Baran who may have been aware of the crime.
