Gujarat's Bhavnagar Murder: The baraat was supposed to arrive any minute. Relatives had gathered, the mandap was ready, and Soni Himmat Rathod was getting ready to start her new life. Instead, she lost it, murdered by the very man she was about to marry, just an hour before the ceremony. Gujarat's Bhavnagar is still trying to process what happened. A saree. Some money. That's all it took for love to turn deadly.
They'd Defied Everyone To Be Together
Sajan Baraiya and Soni had been living together for about a year and a half at Tekri Chowk in Bhavnagar's Prabhas Lake area. Their families weren't happy about the relationship, but the couple went ahead anyway. They got engaged, completed most of the wedding rituals, and Saturday night was finally their big day. Guests were turning up. Everything seemed set. Then it all went horribly wrong.
An Argument That Spiraled Out Of Control
Deputy Superintendent of Police RR Singhal explains that it all started with a dispute over a saree and some money. These are trivial matters, the kind that couples fight over and then forget. But Sajan wasn't just angry. He went into a full-blown rage. He picked up an iron pipe and attacked Soni. Then he slammed her head against the wall. She died on the spot, sixty minutes before she was to become his wife.
He Trashed The House And Ran
After killing her, Sajan broke into the house, ransacking everything he could find. Then he fled. By the time the Gangajalia police team arrived, they found a crime scene where a wedding was supposed to take place, Soni's body, a dilapidated house, and decorations that had suddenly become meaningless.
Police Hunting For The Accused
Soni’s body has been sent for a post-mortem. A murder case has been registered, and police are searching for Sajan, who is still absconding. Officers also confirmed he had a separate altercation with a neighbor earlier on Saturday, and a complaint was filed for that as well.
People in Bhavnagar are struggling to understand how this happened. Sajan had lived with Soni for more than a year, stood by her despite family objections, and was just an hour away from marrying her. Yet he killed her over a saree and some money. The wedding never took place; only unanswered questions and a grieving family remain.
