A 21-year-old model, Khushboo Ahirwar, was found dead under mysterious circumstances early Monday morning after her boyfriend allegedly abandoned her at a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Sehore district, before vanishing.
Doctors at the hospital in Bhainsakhedi, Sehore district, declared her brought dead and informed the police. The body has been sent to Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal for a postmortem, which is being conducted under magisterial supervision due to the family's allegations.
The victim's mother, Lakshmi Ahirwar, broke down outside the hospital, alleging that her daughter had been murdered. "There are blue marks all over her body. Her face is swollen, and her private parts are bruised. My daughter was brutally beaten to death," she said.
"She was strangled. There are bruises everywhere. We want justice. The man who killed her must be punished," said her sister.
According to the family, Khushboo had been in a live-in relationship with a 27-year-old man named Qasim, who has been missing since he left her at the hospital. The police said the couple was returning from Ujjain to Bhopal when Khushboo's condition deteriorated. Instead of staying, Qasim fled after seeing her unconscious.
Three days before the tragedy, Qasim reportedly called Khushboo's mother. "He said, 'I am Muslim, but your daughter is with me. Don't worry, I'm taking her to Ujjain'," Lakshmi said. Later, Khushboo herself called, reassuring her family: "Don't worry, Qasim is a good guy. I'm with him."
That was the last conversation the family ever had with her.
Khushboo, known online by her Instagram handle @DiamondGirl30, was a rising local model with thousands of followers. She often shared glamorous shoots and brand collaborations and was seen as one of the promising faces in Bhopal's modelling circles.
She had dropped out after her first year of a BA course and had been living in Bhopal for three years, supporting herself through part-time jobs while chasing her modelling dreams. "She always said she wanted to make her name shine," her mother said.
In an appeal, Khushboo's sister urged Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav to intervene. "This happened in your area. Please, sir, do something. My sister deserves justice," she said.
Police have registered a case and launched a hunt for Qasim, who is currently missing. Officers confirmed that the nature of Khushboo's injuries raises suspicions of assault and possible sexual violence.
"We are waiting for the postmortem report. All angles, including sexual assault and murder, are being investigated," said an officer from Parwalia Police Station.
As the autopsy continues and the hunt for Qasim intensifies, questions mount about how a young woman chasing her dreams met such a brutal end.
