Rajkot: The suspected suicide of a 35-year-old woman, Ila Bagda, has morphed into a murder investigation, after forensic findings indicated strangulation which led police to arrest her husband, Hitendra Bagda.A case of murder has been registered against Hitendra at Bhayavadar police station in Upleta taluka by Ila’s brother, Rajesh Hedamba. On Tuesday, Ila’s family were told that she had hanged herself at a farm, but suspicions soon arose over the circumstances.According to the FIR, when family members reached Bhayavadar Govt Hospital, they noticed injury marks on Ila’s face, dust on her clothes and in her hair. This prompted the family to demand a forensic postmortem.The body was then sent to Rajkot for the autopsy and preliminary findings suggested that Ila may have been strangled with a rope, leading investigators to treat the case as murder rather than suicide.“Rajesh alleged that Hitendra frequently expressed doubts about his wife’s fidelity harassed and tortured her throughout their marriage. The abuse often forced Ila to stay with her parents or maternal uncle, but she would return to the marital home for the sake of her two children,” said the case investigating officer, Hemendra Dhandhal.The complainant has accused Hitendra Bagda of murdering Ila by strangling her with a rope and has sought action against any other individuals who may be found involved.
