Govandi honour killings: They lured the couple with Mumbai dreams

Accused in police custody (left) the couple

Enraged by his daughter's interfaith marriage, a 52-year-old father and his son plotted to eliminate the couple six months ago. The girl's family had harboured resentment over the marriage and had conveyed their disapproval to the couple several times. When these warnings went unheeded, the family adopted a softer approach, pretending to have forgiven the couple and moved on. The deceased girl's brother had discovered their location six months ago and meticulously planned the murder.

Woman's father, Gora Khan (left) and her brother, Salman Khan

The Govandi police have arrested six individuals in connection with the murders of Karan Ramesh Chandra Chaurasiya, 22, and his wife Gulnaz, 20. They are in the process of detaining one more of Gulnaz's brothers in connection with her murder. Initial investigations reveal that the family had been planning the murders for six months, with brother Salman finalising the location at the Telecom Factory in Govandi to kill Karan.

The love story

Karan Chaurasiya, living in Chilla village in the Banda district, had lost his parents and was residing with his two brothers. A couple of years ago, both his brothers left Uttar Pradesh and moved to Delhi for work, while Karan operated a paan shop in the village. Gulnaz, who lived with her six siblings and parents, lived on the same street as Karan's shop. They saw each other frequently. Over time, they fell in love and decided to get married. "Gulnaz, the eldest girl in her family, knew she wouldn't receive permission for the marriage at home, so she decided to elope with Karan," said an official familiar with the investigation. "The couple eloped in December 2022 and got married in a temple in Madhya Pradesh. Afterwards, they moved to Delhi and lived with Karan's brother for a few months before returning to Chilla village in UP."

Messages and warnings

After Karan and Gulnaz returned to the village, messages started arriving, urging Gulnaz to return home. However, as they lived in a predominantly Hindu area, no one from Gulnaz's family attempted to meet her. When attempts to convince her failed, the couple received warnings of dire consequences. Fearing for their safety, Karan and Gulnaz also stopped leaving the village.

Brother gets job in Mumbai...

Meanwhile, Salman Khan, 22, secured a job in a garment factory in Dharavi. His father, Gora, would come to Mumbai with his wife and reside there for 3-4 months before returning to UP. Six months ago, when Gora came to Dharavi, he and his son discussed the plan to murder the couple. From that point on, they began reaching out to Gulnaz, telling her that they were ready to forgive everything and would help them settle in Mumbai. Gulnaz repeatedly turned down the offer, sensing something amiss. However, it was Karan who eventually advised her to meet the family once and conveyed their readiness to come to the city.

Father escorts the couple

After receiving the green light, Gora Khan informed his son, Salman, that he would bring the couple, and Salman should be prepared. "Gora went to the village and took Karan and his daughter, Gulnaz, to Mumbai. On October 11, they boarded the train in UP and reached Mumbai in the early hours of October 13," explained a police officer. "After reaching Mumbai, they all had refreshments, and Gora asked his wife, who had come to receive them at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, to take her home while he took Karan to Govandi to show him the rented home he had arranged and buy some clothes."

Karan taken to Govandi and killed

Gora and Salman took Karan to Govandi by train. They disembarked at Govandi railway station and walked towards the Telecom Factory. In the meantime, Salman had asked his brother and friends to be at the well, where they had planned to kill him. Upon reaching the well, they began assaulting him. Initially, Karan was stabbed in the stomach, and then they held him down and slit his throat. They took his wallet and mobile phone and threw him into the well to die.

When Gora and his son returned to their Dharavi home, Gulnaz realized that her husband was not with them. When she asked where he was, Gora concocted a story, saying that Karan didn't like the room and had returned to Uttar Pradesh. Gora told her to get ready, as she had been asking for Karan. He arranged a fleet cab owned by one of Salman's friends and took her on the pretext of dropping her, but instead drove her to Kalamboli. While driving, Gora strangled her, and she was thrown from the car. When the driver started the car and drove a few metres, Gora asked him to stop and came back to smash Gulnaz's head.

No regrets

Days after the arrests, Gora and Salman showed no remorse for killing both of them. "They say that what has happened is wrong, but what she has done has damaged our reputation in the clan, so we had no other option," said

13 Oct
Day of the murders