Deceased bride Sandhya.
A 23-year-old bride died after falling around 25 feet from the second floor while allegedly attempting to flee her husband’s house just five days after their wedding in Ratlam.
The woman, identified as Sandhya, was reportedly climbing down using a rope around midnight on July 30 when the rope snapped. She fell onto a pile of sand and sustained fatal injuries.
Sandhya was from Karwandia in Rohtas, Bihar. Her husband, Mukesh (45), a welding shop owner on Karamdi Road in Ratlam, said he had paid ₹2.60 lakh through a marriage broker to arrange the wedding.
Bride tried to escape around midnight
Mukesh married Sandhya on July 26 at Taj Marriage Garden in Karwandia, Rohtas.
On the night of July 30, the couple went to sleep in a room on the second floor around midnight. Mukesh’s mother, Basantibai, was sleeping on the ground floor.
Between midnight and 2 am, Sandhya allegedly tied a rope to an iron pole supporting a shed on the second-floor roof and began climbing down.
The house is around 35 feet high. Sandhya had reportedly descended around 10 feet when the rope broke. She fell approximately 25 feet onto a pile of sand on the ground and died.
From this very house, the bride tried to escape by tying a rope and climbing down.
Husband woke up and found her missing
Mukesh said he woke up around 2 am and did not find Sandhya in the room. He initially assumed that she had gone to the bathroom.
When she did not return for 10-15 minutes, he woke up the neighbours and began searching the house.
He eventually found Sandhya lying unconscious on the pile of sand behind the house.
She was rushed to the district hospital during the night, where doctors declared her dead. Her body was subsequently sent to the medical college for examination, and the Manak Chowk police were informed.
₹2.60 lakh paid to broker for marriage
Mukesh lives in a two-storey house, with his welding shop operating on the ground floor.
He said he had arranged the marriage through a broker named Mohan from Jaithalakalan in Badnagar, Ujjain district, paying ₹2.60 lakh.
According to Mukesh, the rope used by Sandhya was around two years old. It had originally been brought for constructing scaffolding when the house was being built.
A roughly 10-foot section of the rope was found tied to the iron pole.
After receiving information about the incident, Manak Chowk police station in-charge Vikram Singh Chauhan and FSL officer Dr Atul Mittal inspected the spot.
Sandhya with husband Mukesh.
Bride’s family did not arrive from Bihar
Sandhya’s family in Bihar was informed about her death, but no family member arrived even by Saturday.
The broker who had arranged the marriage also reportedly disappeared.
After the post-mortem, police handed over the body to Mukesh, who performed her last rites on Saturday.
Husband raises questions over marriage arrangements
Mukesh said he had met Sandhya’s mother and brother during the wedding but was never told their names.
He also said the role of the lawyer who came to complete the marriage documentation appeared suspicious.
According to Mukesh, the lawyer did not allow them to take photographs during the wedding, saying photography was prohibited at the venue.
After Sandhya’s death, police contacted people in Bihar and reportedly put pressure on them. The lawyer subsequently sent wedding photographs to Mukesh via WhatsApp.
The rope was tied to the iron pole of the shed built on the second floor.
Police suspect possible ‘Looteri Dulhan’ gang
When the family was being contacted through Rajesh, reportedly the main broker in Bihar, he allegedly avoided giving clear answers.
Mukesh said he asked Rajesh to arrange a video call with Sandhya’s mother, but the broker became angry and allegedly threatened to consume poison if Mukesh called again.
When asked to speak to Sandhya’s mother, Rajesh allegedly claimed that she was blind.
Police suspect that the absence of Sandhya’s family and the broker’s evasive responses could indicate the involvement of a gang that arranges marriages and allegedly cheats men through ‘looteri dulhan’ schemes.
However, police have not yet established such a connection.
The wedding took place in Bihar on July 26.
Police station in-charge and FSL officer investigating at the crime scene.
Police begin investigation
Manak Chowk police have registered a marg (inquest) case and begun investigating the circumstances surrounding Sandhya’s death.
Station in-charge Vikram Singh Chauhan said the inquest had been registered and that the body was handed over to the husband because the woman’s family members did not arrive.
He said the entire incident is being investigated.
