'Slit throat, beheaded': How wife, lover plotted husband's murder; 5 arrested in Bengal
Times of India | 17 July 2026
SILIGURI: A gruesome murder allegedly orchestrated over an extramarital affair was cracked by Bagdogra police within 48 hours with the arrest of five persons, including the victim's wife and her alleged lover.
Police said the accused allegedly conspired to eliminate the woman's husband, beheaded him, and dumped his headless body in a tea garden in Bagdogra.
Police have identified the deceased as Imam, a resident of Kishanganj district in Bihar, who worked as a traditional faith healer (ojha).
The accused have been identified as the victim's wife, Tumpa Ghosh alias Momina Begum; her alleged lover, Sudip Pal of Chandal Jote in Goshaipur, Bagdogra; Sudip's nephews, Bapi Pal and Nitai Pal of Jalpaiguri; and their friend, Kaushik Nath.
Police said the victim was identified through an identity card recovered from the headless body, after which his family confirmed his identity at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
The incident came to light on Tuesday when a headless body was recovered from the No. 9 Section of Haskhowa Tea Garden under Bagdogra police station. An identity card recovered from the body identified the deceased . The Police informed his family, who later identified the body at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital.
According to the police , both the deceased, Imam, and his wife, Tumpa Ghosh alias Momina Begum, worked as traditional faith healers or occult practitioners, commonly referred to as ojhas.
Police said Momina had allegedly been in a long-standing extramarital relationship with Sudip Pal, another ojha from Chandal Jote in Goshaipur, Bagdogra. Sudip is married and has two sons.
Police alleged that the couple decided to eliminate Imam so they could live together. Acting on the plan, Sudip, along with his two nephews from Jalpaiguri—Bapi Pal and Nitai Pal—their friend Kaushik Nath, and Momina Begum allegedly lured Imam to Haskhowa, where they slit his throat, beheaded him and abandoned the body in the tea garden.
Following an investigation, police arrested all five accused. They were produced before the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court on Thursday and remanded to police custody for further investigation.
"The investigation revealed that the murder was the result of a conspiracy allegedly hatched by the victim's wife and her lover. Based on evidence and interrogation, we were able to crack the case and arrest all five accused. The weapon believed to have been used in the crime has also been recovered. The victim's head has also been recovered. Further investigation is underway to establish the complete sequence of events and collect all available evidence," a senior police officer said.
"Investigators are also working to reconstruct the sequence of events and ascertain the role played by each accused", the officer added.