Gwalior: Woman shot dead by former partner days after police complaint
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Gwalior: A 33-year-old woman was shot dead in broad daylight on a busy street in Gwalior on Saturday, allegedly by the man against whom she had lodged a police complaint just three days earlier. The attacker remained at the scene beside her body until police arrived and used teargas to subdue and arrest him.
Police identified the victim as Nandini and the accused as Arvind Parihar, 33. According to eyewitnesses, Parihar stopped Nandini on the crowded street and opened fire. Advocate M. P. Singh, who was nearby, said, “I was returning from court when I heard gunshots… A man was firing at a woman… Three bullets were fired in front of my eyes. She collapsed on the road while people stood helpless.” Police said Nandini sustained four or five bullet injuries, was rushed to hospital, and died during treatment.
Officers reported that after the shooting Parihar sat beside the body in the middle of the road and pointed his pistol at the police when they arrived. “The accused even attempted to threaten the police team, but with the use of teargas shells and minimal force, he was subdued and taken into custody. His weapon has been seized,” said CSP Nagendra Sikarwar.
Investigators said Nandini had filed a complaint on 9 September with the Superintendent of Police’s office accusing Parihar of deceiving her into marriage despite being married with children, harassing her for months, issuing threats and trying to force her back into the relationship. Parihar, a contractor, and Nandini had previously been in a relationship and had an Arya Samaj wedding while still married to their respective spouses, sources said.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the accused was already married with two children and that Nandini too was married and had a child. “During initial questioning, the accused further disclosed that in 2023, without informing their families, he and Nandini even got married at the Arya Samaj Mandir in Murar. Without divorcing their respective spouses, they continued to live together. From 2023 onwards, constant disputes and quarrels began between them. As a result, Nandini lodged three cases against Parihar,” a senior police officer said.
It also emerged that in 2017 Nandini had been arrested in connection with a murder case and released in 2022 after serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence. In 2024 she lodged another complaint at Sirol police station alleging that Parihar had tried to run her over with a car. A case of attempted murder was registered and Parihar was arrested. “However, Nandini later submitted an affidavit in court denying the incident, based on which the accused obtained bail. He remained in jail for about three months. In other cases filed by Nandini too, he was acquitted through compromise because Nandini herself denied the incidents in her testimony,” the officer added.
After his release on bail Parihar and Nandini again came into contact. “During this period, it came to light that Nandini was pressuring Parihar to transfer his property to her and leave his wife in order to marry her,” the officer claimed.
Police said a detailed investigation into the killing, the couple’s history and previous cases is under way.