Rajneesh, the accused in the murder of Indore's Shristi Jain, was arrested on Tuesday, showing no sign of remorse as he revealed that he was married with two children but wanted a "new and modern wife".
The 37-year-old resident of Raghopur in Vaishali district was caught from the Bypass area of Patna eight days after Shristi was shot dead on her way to Patna Junction.
Police said Rajneesh was unapologetic - his only explanation for the crime: she insulted me and I killed her.
Rajneesh also revealed that he has been married for 13 years and has two children. The Raghopur resident said following a second successful kidney transplant in 2015, he decided to celebrate his new life with a "new and modern wife".
Enter, Shristi Jain.
"I spent almost Rs 2 lakh on her but she insulted me time and again. I thought she will destroy the life of others too and so, I decided to kill her," Rajneesh told The Telegraph.
"After a second kidney transplant in 2015, I got a new lease of life and wanted a new and a modern wife. I would not have deserted my wife but I created an account on a matrimonial website where I met Shristi. She said she would come to Patna from Delhi (where she worked) to meet me. She requested me to arrange for her air ticket and I agreed," said Rajneesh.
"Rahul, my relative, and I went to Hotel Mani International in Jakkanpur and booked three rooms. Shristi arrived on January 23 and we checked into the hotel during the day. She said she wanted money and I gave her Rs 1 lakh without asking anything. I spent another Rs 1 lakh on her shopping. But since January 23 evening, her attitude changed and she started abusing me. She would keep on speaking on the phone all the time and that made me more angry."
Police sources said Shristi, who was 27 at the time of her murder, also asked Rajneesh for ornaments, but he didn't have the money. Relations between the two soured as Rajneesh found Shristi's selfies with another guest at the hotel. One of the investigating officers said: "Rajneesh has said in his statement that Shristi insulted him on the night of January 23 and threw him out of her hotel room. The next day she met a Bangalore resident at the hotel. She went on a shopping trip with this man, bought a new mobile handset and clicked selfies with him. When Rajneesh came back late that evening, he saw her pictures with the other man and was left seething in rage. But he claims he did not think of killing Shristi until January 25 when she was leaving, because he was desperate to get married."
Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj said: "The man (Rajneesh)'s attitude is strange - he has no remorse."
Following arguments on the night of January 24, Rajneesh left the hotel again to stay with one of his brothers in the city. "The next day when Shristi was about to leave, Rajneesh went to the hotel and offered to drop her at Patna Junction. An argument ensued in the reception area and got ugly," said an officer.
The argument continued for an hour, the hotel officials also confirmed, when Rajneesh and Shristi hurled abuses at each other. At one point, Shristi even threatened to call the police. "That's when Rajneesh claims to have decided to kill her. As she left for the station in an autorickshaw , he followed her on his bike and shot her thrice. He then fled to Raghopur and remained in hiding in the diara area," the officer said.
Maharaaj said the police were no longer looking at Rahul as an accomplice to the murder. "He might be absconding but it looks like he didn't have anything to do with the murder. Rajneesh said he threw his cellphone, his Tablet and also his bike while fleeing to Raghopur. He also claimed his pistol was licensed in Vaishali, which is being verified," Maharaaj said.
As for Rajneesh, all he said while being taken away by the cops was: "She shouldn't have insulted me so much. I have no regrets."
