Crimes of Familiarity: When Those You Trust Become Killers

Inside India’s Most Shocking Murders and Suicides by Family, Lovers, and Friends

Introduction: The Betrayal That Bleeds

When we hear about murder, we imagine a hooded stranger hiding in the dark. But in India, many times the killer is not a stranger it’s someone the victim knew, loved, and trusted.

A husband, a boyfriend, a brother, a friend sometimes even a parent.

These murders are not random. They are personal betrayals that happen inside homes, often after months or years of abuse, threats, or control. And most victims never imagine someone close could actually kill them.

The Data We Ignore: Killers Are Often Close

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India recorded 28,522 murders in 2022 about 78 murders every day. But headlines usually talk about gang violence or robberies. In reality, most murders happen because of:

• Fights within the family
• Love affairs
• Marital problems
• Secret relationships
• Property disputes among relatives

These reasons cause over 40% of murders, showing that someone close is often the one who kills.

Also, in rape cases, nearly 90% of the accused are people the victim knows. The same pattern happens in murders and suicides but we don’t talk about it enough.

Case 1: Married, Then Burned Alive

In Jaipur, 2023, 24-year-old Meena Kumari was found with 90% burns in her kitchen. Her in-laws claimed it was a gas cylinder accident. But before she died, she told the police the truth: her husband and his mother poured kerosene on her and set her on fire.

They wanted ₹2 lakh more in dowry.

Meena had already told her parents: “They’ll kill me if I don’t get the money.” But no one believed it could really happen—until it did.

In 2022 alone, India reported over 6,500 dowry deaths. In most cases, husbands or in-laws were the killers.

Case 2: Rejected Proposal Turned Deadly

In Delhi, 2022, 20-year-old Roshni was walking back from college when Amit, a former friend, attacked her in daylight. He had proposed many times, but she always said no.

He couldn’t handle the rejection.

He stabbed her more than 30 times with a kitchen knife. People saw it happen. Some even recorded videos. But no one stopped him.

Later, Amit told police: “She used to smile at me. Then she changed. She insulted me.”

Rejection often triggers dangerous violence, showing how ego and anger can make someone close turn into a killer.

Case 3: WhatsApp Chat That Ended in Murder

In Hyderabad, 2023, 25-year-old techie Srinivas saw his girlfriend chatting late at night with another man on WhatsApp. He confronted her, and she denied any affair. But the argument turned violent.

Hours later, he strangled her with a bedsheet and threw her body into a canal.

They had been together for two years.

These crimes are often called “crimes of passion,” but they actually come from toxic control, insecurity, and anger.

Case 4: Brother Turned Killer Over “Honour”

In Uttar Pradesh, 19-year-old Aisha fell in love with a boy from another caste. Her family ordered her to end it. She refused.

Her brother took her to a field “to talk” and then killed her by slitting her throat with a sickle.

He told police: “She was ruining our family’s reputation.”

Such honour killings are still common in India. In 2021, at least 130 cases were officially reported. However, experts believe many more are hidden. They are passed off as suicides.

Case 5: Suicide Caused by Blackmail

Rekha, 21, jumped from the fourth floor of her hostel in Pune. She left a note: “He said he’d share my private videos. I can’t take this anymore.”

Her ex-boyfriend had been blackmailing her for weeks after they broke up. He threatened to send her videos to her family if she didn’t return to him.

The police called it suicide. But in reality, he killed her peace, her dignity, and finally, her will to live.

Many women in India especially students die by suicide because of threats, blackmail, or revenge porn by someone they trusted.

Case 6: Father Killed to “Save Honour”

In Bhopal, 2024, 17-year-old Priya went missing after her father found out she was seeing a boy from another religion. For two days, he claimed she had run away. But police found holes in his story.

He finally confessed: he strangled her and buried her in their backyard.

His reason? “I wanted to protect my family’s honour.”

This shows how wrong ideas about honour can make parents who should protect their children turn into killers.

Why Do Close People Kill?

There is no single reason, but these common factors often lead to murders by someone close:

1. Control and Possession: Some people believe they own the victim, especially in relationships or marriages.
2. Hurt Ego: Rejection or perceived disrespect feels like a personal attack. They kill to feel powerful again.
3. Family or Social Pressure: Honour, caste, or “family reputation” can make people feel they have no choice but to kill.
4. Weak Law Enforcement: Many killers think they won’t get punished. They believe their family or society will protect them. Sometimes, that’s true.

These murders don’t happen suddenly. They come after long periods of abuse, control, or toxic behavior hidden under the mask of love or family.

System Failure: Justice Comes Too Late

In almost all these cases, there were warning signs: abuse, threats, or emotional blackmail. But victims had nowhere to go:

• Police often ignore complaints about fights or threats in relationships.
• Families blame or silence victims instead of helping.
• Courts take years to finish trials.
• Society says things like, “Adjust kar lo,” “Ladkiyon se hi hota hai,” or “Ye ghar ka mamla hai.”

By the time anyone responds, it’s often too late the victim is already dead. The killer then says, “I loved her too much,” as an excuse.

Aftermath: Blaming the Victim

When a stranger kills, society gets angry. But when it’s a husband, boyfriend, or family member, society often blames the victim:

• “She must have provoked him.”
• “She was too modern.”
• “She should have stayed quiet.”

This blame adds to the trauma for surviving family members. It also makes it easier for killers to get away because many families are scared to speak up.

This collective silence allows these murders to repeat, generation after generation.

What Needs to Change

To stop murders and suicides by familiar people, India must:

• Treat emotional abuse and threats as crimes, not “private matters.”
• Create fast-track courts for abuse cases in relationships and marriages.
• Train police to take stalking, blackmail, and threats seriously even in the absence of physical violence.
• Teach students to recognize emotional abuse and how to get help.
• Build more shelter homes and mental health services for women and young people facing threats or pressure.

If we don’t act, we will keep finding dead bodies each one with a story of broken trust.

Conclusion: Love Shouldn’t Hide a Killer

The people we trust most should protect us not kill us. But in India, every week, someone is murdered by a person they loved or lived with. This betrayal isn’t just a personal tragedy it’s a failure of society. Our silence helps it happen. Our ignorance makes it worse. And our system doesn’t stop it.

These are not crimes of love. They are crimes of power, control, and cruelty.

Until we face this truth, we will keep seeing these stories not in movies, but in the news.

Sources

Hindustan Times – Emotional Abuse and Digital Blackmail Suicide Cases (2022–24)

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Crime in India Report 2022

IndiaSpend, Domestic Violence and Dowry Death Reports (2023)

The Hindu – Honour Killing and Personal Dispute Cases (2022–23)

NDTV Crime Desk – Rejection & Relationship Murders (2022–24)

Indian Express – Techie Girlfriend Murders, Suicide-linked Abuse (2023)