Nagpur: The Nagpur Crime Branch’s Unit 6 has arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly murdering his second wife, whose blood-soaked body was found on the Ghorpad-Shirpur Road under the jurisdiction of New Kamptee Police Station.
The deceased has been identified as Bhagyashree Vinod Rajak (35), a resident of Gada, Kamptee, Nagpur district.
According to police, Bhagyashree had married Vinod Rajak, a native of Jabalpur who later resided in Uppalwadi under Kapil Nagar, in a love marriage in 2010. However, Vinod was allegedly addicted to alcohol and frequently harassed her by suspecting her character. Unable to bear the abuse, Bhagyashree left him and returned to her parental home.
In 2023, she married Rajendra Nathhuji Kotrunge (45), a resident of Nandgaon Yesamba in Parseoni taluka, at a temple. Police said that Rajendra also allegedly subjected her to physical abuse, forcing her to leave him and shift to her sister’s residence at Gada, Kamptee, where she had been working in a private job.
Despite their separation, Rajendra allegedly continued to harass Bhagyashree by visiting both her workplace and parental home and repeatedly insisting that she return to live with him. The dispute had even reached the village sarpanch and police patil of Gada. During one such altercation, Bhagyashree reportedly snatched the keys of a motorcycle being used by Rajendra because she had been paying its monthly instalments. Angered by the incident, Rajendra allegedly threatened to “see her later.”
On July 2, 2026, Bhagyashree had gone to work and spoke to her daughter over the phone at around 5.40 pm. However, she failed to return home at her usual time. Her sister, Sarita Ashok Khurpade (37), began searching for her and found Bhagyashree lying in a pool of blood and dead on the Ghorpad-Shirpur Road within the limits of New Kamptee Police Station.
Police suspect that the victim was repeatedly attacked with a sharp weapon and murdered.
Based on the complaint lodged by Sarita Khurpade, New Kamptee Police registered a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During the parallel investigation, officers of Crime Branch Unit 6 gathered credible information indicating that the victim’s second husband, Rajendra Kotrunge, was the prime suspect. Using technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, the police tracked him to Badnera.
A trap was laid with the assistance of the Railway Police at Badnera Railway Station, where Rajendra Nathhuji Kotrunge was apprehended and taken into custody. He has since been handed over to New Kamptee Police for further legal action and investigation.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Nagpur Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangre Patil, Joint Commissioner of Police Navinchandra Reddy, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajendra Dabhade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Deepak Agrawal, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Shivprasad Parwe.
The arrest was executed by Police Inspector Bharat Karhade and his team from Crime Branch Unit 6.
