In March 2024, a 41-year-old man, Sanjay Patidar, killed his live-in partner, Pratibha Patidar, and concealed her body in a refrigerator for nearly 10 months before it was discovered in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. The body was found after tenants complained of a foul odor from a room that had been rented by Sanjay but vacated in June 2024. Upon inspection, one of the tenants, Balveer Rajput, discovered the body in the fridge, and police were alerted.
Sanjay was arrested in Ujjain, 40 km away, following the discovery. Police revealed that Pratibha had been missing since March 2024, and neighbors had not seen her after that. The investigation uncovered that Pratibha and Sanjay had been living together in the house before she was murdered. Sanjay had told locals that they were married.
The couple’s relationship reportedly began to deteriorate in January 2024 when Pratibha urged Sanjay to formalize their relationship. Sanjay, however, refused, and their arguments grew more frequent. In March, Sanjay, allegedly with the help of his friend Vinod Dave, strangled Pratibha, tied her hands, and stored her body in the fridge. After the murder, Sanjay moved out of the house but kept one room for his belongings. He had occasionally returned to the house during the months following the crime.
