Bengaluru, Feb 24: Well-timed fifties by Richa Ghosh and Sabbhineni Meghana pushed Royal Challengers Bangalore to a par 157 for six on a slightly tacky pitch against UP Warriorz in their WPL match here on Saturday.

Meghana (53, 44b, 7x4, 1x6) and Richa (62, 37b, 12x4) added 71 runs for the fourth wicket in 50 balls as the Royal Challengers recovered from a shaky 54 for three in 7.5 overs after being asked to bat first.

Sensing the situation, both Meghana and Richa took their time to settle into their partnership, but once they got their eyes in, the RCB pair did not look back.

Meghana, who was dropped on 20 and 22, made full use of those let-offs to play some stunning shots around the ground.

Her thumping loft over extra cover for a six off left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad was good enough to watch in loop.

She reached her fifty in 40 balls, and Richa, who hammered pacer Saima Thakor for 16 runs in the 14th over, reached her own mark soon off 31 balls with a four off Tahlia McGrath.

The partnership was broken when Gayakwad had Meghana stumped by Alyssa Healy.

But before that steady stand, RCB skipper Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry struggled to come to terms with the sluggishness of the track, perishing in their attempt to force the pace.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.

The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.

Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.

"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.

Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.

“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.

Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.

"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.

The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.

Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.

"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.

The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.

Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.