In a heartbreaking turn of fate, 25-year-old schoolteacher Shivani Verma lost her life in a murder planned for someone entirely different, exposing how destiny can intervene in the most tragic and unpredictable ways.
On the morning of December 3, Shivani was riding her two-wheeler to Kanhauli Middle School in Narpatganj, located in Bihar’s Araria district, when two men on a motorcycle intercepted her and shot her at close range.
She was rushed to Araria Sadar Hospital but succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
Police investigations later revealed that Shivani was not the intended target, but an unfortunate victim killed due to mistaken identity.
Her only connection to the planned crime was that she rode the same model of scooty as the woman the killers had been hired to eliminate.
How the Conspiracy Began
According to Araria SP Anjani Kumar, the plot stemmed from a suspicion harboured by Husn Ara, who believed that her husband was romantically involved with another teacher at a primary school in Khabdah village.
Driven by jealousy and rage, she allegedly hired two intermediaries—Raja and Chhotu—to orchestrate a contract killing worth ₹3 lakh.
The two then allegedly hired shooters Mohammad Maroof and Mohammad Sohail, providing them with detailed instructions about the intended victim’s routine, vehicle, and travel route.
The shooters even conducted a recce a day before the attack.
The Fatal Mistake
On the day of the murder, the original target—who was believed to be the woman involved with Husn Ara’s husband—did not travel to school as she was on leave.
Shivani, travelling on the same route and riding a similar scooty, unknowingly crossed the assassins’ path.
Positioned near the Kanhauli Shiva temple, the shooters intercepted her around 9:20 AM, and Sohail allegedly fired a bullet into the back of her neck. A life was extinguished in an instant—one that had no connection to the conspiracy.
Investigation & Arrests
After Shivani’s sister filed an FIR, an SIT team was formed under SDPO Forbesganj Mukesh Kumar Saha. Using CCTV footage, technical inputs and crime scene analysis, police traced the accused quickly.
Maroof was arrested first and reportedly confessed, leading to the recovery of the motorcycle and country-made pistol.
Soon after, Sohail was also arrested. Further investigation identified Husn Ara as the mastermind, and she too was taken into custody. Searches are ongoing for Raja and Chhotu, police said.
A Tragic Reminder
Shivani’s killing underscores the fragility of life—how a routine morning commute could become a fateful moment, and how someone can become a victim of events completely unconnected to them.
A young teacher who dedicated her life to education was lost forever, not because of any conflict of her own, but because destiny placed her on a road meant for someone else.
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