Gurugram machete murders accused found dead in Bhondsi prison

GURUGRAM: A 65-year-old property dealer who had in August walked to a police station, machete in hand, and confessed to murdering four people, including his daughter-in-law, was found dead on Tuesday in jail.
Rao Rai Singh’s body was discovered by a fellow inmate around 6.30am, hanging from an iron frame in a lobby that lies between the barracks in Bhondsi jail and the toilets, according to prison authorities. A bedsheet had been used as noose. Jail authorities were immediately alerted and the police and judicial officer were informed.
Jail officials said Singh had left a suicide note in a writing pad that he had with him in his jail cell that also contains random scribbles — couplets, lines from songs and snatches of life incidents. Singh had been in Bhondsi jail since August 27, three days after the August 24 murders. Sunita, Singh’s daughter-in-law, and his tenants Krishan and Anamika Tiwari and their nine-year-old daughter were hacked to death viciously with a machete in the Rajendra Park ‘kothi’ that Singh owns. The tenants’ younger daughter was also injured but survived the attack.
In the note, in Hindi, Singh is believed to have written that he was unhappy with the things he had done and rued that his wife Bimlesh had ended up in jail too. Bimlesh was arrested for allegedly accompanying Singh during the killings. According to jail officials, Singh reiterated in the note what he had told police – that his daughter-in-law and tenant Krishan were having an affair.
In the days immediately after Singh’s arrest, the families of both Sunita and Krishan had denied this. Sunita’s family has claimed the motive for murdering her was a one-acre plot in Mahendergarh that Sunita had inherited and which Singh wanted.

Officials said Singh’s son Anand, a lawyer, had come to visit him thrice at Bhondsi jail. Singh and Bimlesh met once a week, every Saturday, the day for family visits. Bimlesh is in the women’s wing of the same jail. After their last meeting on October 2, Singh had become pensive and withdrawn, according to jail officials, a marked change from the usually upbeat demeanor he had shown despite the grave charges he was facing.
Sing had taken to tending to plants on the jail premises – a passion for many years that had earned him the moniker of ‘tree man’ in his neighbourhood – participated in music class and would visit a learning centre, which had issued him the writing pad and a pen. “He was quite active and participated in most activities in jail,” said a jail official. Singh was lodged in Barrack No. 3A along with 51 other inmates.
The body was taken to the mortuary and an autopsy was conducted in the presence of a judicial magistrate. Singh’s personal belongings in the barracks were seized. A report will be submitted to the district judge. Sanjay Kumar, assistant jail superintendent, said Singh had appeared “normal” during his time in jail and there had been nothing amiss in his behaviour.
Jail authorities called Anand for an identification of the body, which is required under the rules. He accompanied police and judicial officials to the mortuary. He was the only member of the family there. “We handed over the body to the family member after the post-mortem,” said ACP (Udyog Vihar) Rajeev Yadav.
Dr Deepak Mathur, head of forensics at Civil Hospital, said it was a clear case of hanging. “There were marks on his neck and he died due to hanging,” said Dr Mathur.
Watch Gurugram: Man who killed four people within hours with a machete found dead in jail