Jharkhand: Man Hires Contract Killers to Murder His Own Brother Over Obsessive Love for Sister-in-Law

In a chilling case of betrayal and obsession, police in Jharkhand have cracked the murder of a 25-year-old man, revealing that he was killed by his own elder brother, who was allegedly infatuated with the victim’s wife—his own sister-in-law.

The accused, Ajay Gupta, reportedly plotted the murder of his younger brother, Dhananjay Sao, after the woman he secretly loved—his sister-in-law Kajal—married Dhananjay. Consumed by jealousy and resentment, Ajay hired contract killers to eliminate his brother and clear the path for his twisted intentions.

Murder for Love and Revenge

According to Chas SDPO Praveen Kumar Singh, the incident occurred in Shivshakti Colony, Sector-9, Bokaro. Dhananjay, originally from Patna, was living at his in-laws' house. On May 5, his body was found near the highway in the Pindrajora police station area, prompting a murder investigation after a complaint from his wife, Kajal.

Within 72 hours, police arrested two of the contract killers – Abhishek Mahato of Bhagwati Colony and Rohit Yadav of Shivpuri Colony. Both have confessed to their roles, and police recovered the murder weapon (a knife), a scooty, mobile phone, and blood-stained clothes based on their statements.

Friend Turned Murder Facilitator

The conspiracy was set in motion by Dhananjay’s friend Karan Rai, an auto-rickshaw (Toto) driver from Dundibagh. Police say Ajay Gupta paid ₹1.40 lakh to have his brother killed. Karan was entrusted with the murder contract and brought in Abhishek and Rohit to carry out the crime.

On the night of May 4, Karan lured Dhananjay out under the pretext of dropping a passenger at the station. Along the highway, the group stopped and consumed alcohol. Soon after, Abhishek and Rohit stabbed Dhananjay to death, while Karan damaged the Toto vehicle to make it look like an accident before fleeing.

One-Sided Love Sparked the Crime

Police investigations revealed that Ajay Gupta had fallen into a one-sided love with his sister-in-law Kajal, who is the younger sister of his wife Lakshmi. Despite his feelings, Kajal fell in love with and married Dhananjay a year ago. Since then, the couple had been living in Shivshakti Colony.

Unhappy with the marriage, Ajay reportedly had frequent quarrels with his younger brother and allegedly even assaulted him. Eventually, he decided to eliminate Dhananjay to "claim" his sister-in-law and take revenge for past disputes.

Accused Still on the Run

While Abhishek and Rohit have been arrested, Ajay Gupta and Karan Rai are absconding. Police say raids are underway to capture them. The case was solved with the help of CCTV footage, technical surveillance, and the dog squad.

Officials have described the murder as both premeditated and motivated by illicit obsession, calling it one of the most disturbing cases of familial betrayal in recent times.