- Anshul Dhawan reported a robbery and murder of his wife near Jhajjar district at 11 pm on February 15
- Police found Mahak Dhawan's body with a slit throat outside their car on a dirt track near Badli road
- Anshul initially claimed unknown attackers but gave inconsistent details during police questioning
It was shortly after 11 pm on February 15 when the telephone rang at a police station in Haryana. On the line was Anshul Dhawan, a chartered accountant from Hisar, reporting that unknown men had stopped his car neara village in Jhajjar district, tried to rob him and his wife, and slit her throat. The call set in motion an investigation that would, within 18 hours, dismantle the story he had just told and end with his arrest for the murder of his pregnant wife.
Anshul was arrested for the murder of his pregnant wife, a 27-year-old employee of HDFC Bank in Gurugram, after the couple had been married for only five months. Anshul, resident of Sector 14 in Hisar and employed as a chartered accountant in Gurugram, killed his wife Mahak during the car journey on that fateful evening.
He then contacted the police claiming that unknown robbers had attacked them near Pahsaur village in the Badli area of Jhajjar district and slit his wife's throat. police reached the spot within minutes and found Mahak's body lying outside the couple's car on a dirt track roughly 100 metres off the Jhajjar-Badli road. Her throat had been cut. The case was initially registered as robbery-cum-murder, but investigators closed it as a domestic killing within 18 hours.
During questioning the next day, Anshul first repeated his account of a roadside robbery. He told officers that unidentified men had stopped their car, attacked them and fled after killing his wife. He could not, however, provide any description of the attackers -- their number, appearance, clothing or vehicle. When pressed, he altered details of the sequence of events several times.
After prolonged interrogation, Anshul confessed that he had killed Mahak himself. According to the statement recorded by police, the couple had argued during the drive after leaving Mahak's parental home in Hansi at around 7 pm on February 15. The argument centred on Anshul's long-standing suspicions about his wife being in an extramarital relationship. Those suspicions had caused repeated fights since their wedding.
Police say Anshul first strangled Mahak's inside the car. After confirming she was dead, he put on gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints, took a pair of scissors and slit her throat. He then moved her body out of the car onto the dirt track, arranged the scene to suggest a robbery and drove a short distance before calling the police control room.
Mahak's father, Krishna Kathuria, told police from the outset that he suspected his son-in-law. Family members said Mahak was pregnant at the time of her death. The couple had married on September 25 last year in an arranged marriage setup.
Mahak had been working at the HDFC Bank branch in Gurugram. Anshul maintained his professional practice in the same city while keeping his permanent residence in Hisar.
On February 14, Valentine's Day, the couple had travelled to Hisar and spent the day with family. The following evening, they left Hansi for Gurugram. Four hours into that journey, the murder took place.
Police is now examining the couple's mobile phone records, call history and any digital communication that may show the pattern of arguments. They are also checking whether Anshul purchased or carried the scissors used in the crime and whether the gloves were brought specifically for that purpose.
No other suspects are being sought.
