A newlywed man named Hemendra Merawi and his brother have been killed in a shocking tale of revenge after a home theatre system received as a wedding present exploded.
Four other family members, including an 18-month-old child, were also injured in the blast that occurred in central India on Monday, April 3rd last.
Police in India understand that the home theatre system, which had been gifted by the bride's ex-partner, was laden with explosives which were programmed to ignite when the device was plugged in.
The bride's ex-partner, 33-year-old Sarju Markam, was arrested by police on Tuesday on murder charges.
Markam, a father and husband, is believed to have lied to Hemendra Merawi's wife about being married and secretly desired a second partner.
After Merawi's wife refused to marry him, Markam began a campaign of sustained threats – culminating in the rigged home theatre system.
Speaking following Markam's arrest, Superintendent Lal Umed Singh told the Indian Express that “the accused told the police that he had planted the explosive in the home theatre and gifted it to the newly married couple in a bid to kill them.
Singh continued: "He used ammonium nitrate, petrol and gunpowder retrieved from firecrackers. He gift-wrapped it to avoid any suspicion. The blast got triggered when the system was switched on.”
