In a startling turn of events, Lalita Bai, a 35-year-old woman presumed murdered in September 2023, returned home to Navali village in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district on March 11, 2025, leaving her family and police stunned. Four men arrested for her supposed killing—Imran, Shahrukh, Sonu, and Ejaz—remain in prison as authorities grapple with this bizarre twist.

Lalita vanished from Gandhi Sagar in 2023, prompting her family to file a missing person report. Days later, Thandla police in Jhabua district recovered a woman’s crushed body, identified by her father, Nanuram Banchhada, via a tattoo and a black string on her leg. “We performed her last rites,” he said. Police arrested the four based on evidence linking them to her disappearance. But Lalita’s return has upended the case.

She told police she left willingly with a man named Shahrukh, who then “sold” her for Rs 5 lakh to another Shahrukh in Bhanpura. Taken to Kota, Rajasthan, she lived there for 18 months. “I escaped when I got the chance,” Lalita said, noting she couldn’t contact her family without a phone. On reuniting with her two children, she reported to Gandhi Sagar police, who informed Thandla counterparts.

Mandsaur SP Abhishek Anand deferred action to Thandla police, while Jhabua SP Padmavilochan Shukla outlined next steps: “We’ll conduct a medical exam, DNA test, and re-record witness statements.” Only a thorough reinvestigation will confirm her identity and resolve the fate of the jailed men, who have sought relief in court. The case raises haunting questions about the unidentified body cremated in 2023, as this real-life drama unfolds.