Bhopal, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A 45-year-old female RTO inspector was allegedly murdered with a hammer at a house in Bhopal, while her partner was later found hanging from a tree near the residence, police said on Monday.
The body of Meenakshi Gokhale was found in the outer room of a house in Lake Pearl Colony, under the Khajuri Sadak police station limits.
Police said Gokhale had suffered head injuries and a blood-stained hammer was recovered near her body.
Gokhale had reached the house around 7 p.m. on Sunday with her friend Kritika and the latter’s three-year-old daughter. Kritika and the child slept in an inner room that night.
When Kritika woke up around 7 a.m. on Monday, she found Gokhale’s body and alerted the police.
The house belonged to 48-year-old Pawan Kumar Dwivedi, who was reportedly in a relationship with Gokhale. He was later found hanging from a tree around 20 metres from the house. Police said a bank passbook was recovered from his pocket.
According to the preliminary investigation, Dwivedi wanted to marry Gokhale, while she was unwilling. Police suspect that an argument over the issue late on Sunday night may have preceded the alleged attack.
Investigators suspect Dwivedi struck Gokhale on the head with a hammer before later taking his own life.
“Prima facie, the investigation indicates there was a dispute between the two over marriage. The crime scene has been examined and forensic evidence collected. Further details will emerge after the postmortem and other investigation,” Additional DCP Sanjeev Pathak said.
Gokhale was from Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district, while Dwivedi was originally from Sidhi district.
Police said Dwivedi had earlier run coaching classes in Indore, where the two had met when Gokhale was unmarried and preparing for competitive examinations.
Pathak said Gokhale had divorced her husband around two years ago.
Police suspect that the assault took place in the courtyard and that Dwivedi subsequently dragged Gokhale’s body into the front room before locking the house from outside.
Police and forensic teams examined the crime scene and collected evidence. The exact sequence of events and circumstances surrounding the two deaths are being investigated.
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