Police on Thursday claimed that 40-year-old Munni Devi, also known as Runi, had ganged up with a former student to kill her husband and mother-in-law.

Munni's husband Ashok Kumar (45) and mother-in-law Manna Devi (60) were found murdered in their one-room Chandmarichak residence under the jurisdiction of Danapur police station on July 31.

Munni and her two children were present in the house when the incident took place; they had claimed they came to know about the murders only in the morning.

"I was not on talking terms with my husband for a year," Munni told reporters in police custody on Thursday. "His mother and he used to trouble and thrash me. I was fed up. I wanted to get rid of both of them. Hence, I decided to rope in Ravindra Kumar (20), a neighbour, who had been my student long back. He was sympathetic towards my condition and I convinced him somehow to help me. I asked him to kill both."

Munni, who has a seven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter, said she was a teacher in a private school in Danapur after she married Ashok.

"I got married to Ashok in 2002," she said. "I worked in RDS High School in Danapur from 2006 to 2008. Ravindra was a student of mine. I liked him, as he was attentive in class. Later, whenever there was a fight between my husband or mother-in-law and me, Ravindra used to intervene and save me. He used to help me and hence I was sure that he will help me."

Cops claimed Ravindra had criminal antecedents.

"In 2014, a case of dacoity had been lodged against Ravindra and he was in jail for some time but then obtained bail," said Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaaj.

"The police, during investigations, got the call record details of the woman and found that she had been frequently talking to Ravindra, more than 40 times a day, before the incident. The police came to know that they had a relationship. Ravindra is absconding. However, Munni and five associates of Ravindra have been arrested. During interrogation, the five have admitted killing the duo and named Ravindra and Munni as the masterminds behind the crime."

The SSP said once the family had their dinner and went to their respective rooms to sleep, Munni got up and opened the main door of the house.

"Ravindra and his associates waiting outside entered the house," he said. "The room in which the mother-son duo were sleeping wasn't locked. The killers strangled them to death. Thereafter, they stabbed the bodies and ransacked the room to make it look like a robbery."#