Gadchiroli: A 22-year-old woman arrested in Gadchiroli for the alleged murder of five family members by poisoning had previously attempted suicide in August, citing harassment by her husband and in-laws as the cause, according to police reports.

On Wednesday, Sanghamitra Kumbhare, 22, and her relative Rosa Ramteke, 36, were apprehended for their alleged involvement in the murder of five family members by administering Thallium over a span of one month.

Police investigations revealed that following Sanghamitra’s failed suicide attempt, during which she had cut her veins, she and Rosa conspired to eliminate the other family members.

Sanghamitra and Rosa were arrested for the murders of Sanghamitra’s husband Roshan, Roshan’s parents Shankar and Vijaya, Roshan’s sister Komal, and Vijaya’s sister Varsha Urade. The poisoning took place through the regular consumption of a heavy metal poison in their food and water between mid-September and October 15 in Mahagaon village, Gadchiroli.

Authorities are actively looking into the potential involvement of Rosa’s 41-year-old husband in the crime, as he has repeatedly attempted to mislead investigators. At one point, he cut off his hair, falsely claiming to have also fallen victim to some poisonous substance.

The investigation is complicated by the fact that Sanghamitra and Rosa have been providing conflicting information about the source of the heavy metal poison. Initially, they claimed Rosa had purchased it, but they later alleged that Sanghamitra had acquired it from Telangana. The motive for the murders appears to be rooted in Sanghamitra’s belief that Roshan, Shankar, and Vijaya had subjected her to harassment that she held responsible for her father’s suicide in Akola in April.

It is suspected that while Sanghamitra may have intended to harm only the three individuals responsible for her suffering, Rosa had ulterior motives related to ancestral property, leading to the poisoning of additional family members, resulting in the tragic deaths of Urate and Komal. The Gadchiroli police are diligently working to uncover the source of the heavy metal poison used in the crimes.

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