The investigation revealed that Prachi's neighbour, Shekhar Ajabrao Dhore, was in love with her, but she had rejected his advances.

A 23-year-old college student was found hanging from a noose in Nagpur on Wednesday. What appeared to be a case of death by suicide initially turned out to be a murder orchestrated by a neighbour over unrequited love. The Nagpur police have registered a murder case against the neighbour, 38-year-old Shekhar Ajabrao Dhore.

First Reaction: Death By Suicide

Prachi Hemraj, a BA student who was also undergoing training in share trading, was found hanging in her bedroom on Wednesday. 

Based on information provided by Prachi's mother, the police initially registered a case of accidental death. Everyone first believed it to be a death by suicide.

The preliminary post-mortem report, however, revealed that Prachi died due to a severe head injury. This prompted the police to investigate whether it was a case of murder being staged as suicide.

Investigation And Arrest

As the police launched a murder investigation, suspicion fell on a neighbour, Shekhar Ajabrao Dhore, who lives next door. The investigation revealed that he was in love with Prachi, but she had rejected his advances.

Unable to handle the rejection, Dhore allegedly plotted to kill her. On the day of the incident, when Prachi's parents and brother were away at work, and she was home alone, Dhore entered the house. In a fit of rage, he first strangled her and then killed her by smashing her head against a wall or the floor. To disguise the crime as a suicide, he used a scarf to hang her body from a noose.

After the post-mortem report confirmed the severe head injury and other physical wounds, the police registered a formal murder case and arrested the accused, Dhore.