Facebook | The remnants of Hemendra Merawi's home after the explosion.

Indian newlywed Hemendra Merawi and his brother, Rajkumar, died after plugging in a home theater stereo system that was gifted to the couple by Merawi's new wife's ex-lover.

According to police, Merawi's wife was romantically involved with Sarju Markam, a 33-year-old auto mechanic, prior to the couple's marriage. Markam became enraged after Merawi came into the picture and allegedly devised a plan to get revenge after Merawi and his wife announced their intentions to wed.

Merawi and his wife's families arranged the marriage, and Markam tried to convince his ex-lover not to go through with the wedding.

According to The Indian Express, a day before the wedding, Markam called his ex-lover and stated, "You are getting married but you will never be happy." He then threatened Merawi.

"They had an altercation. Hemendra also had a talk with his fiancé and the issue was settled," explained police superintendent Lal Umed Singh.

It was after these inflammatory calls that Markam made plans to create a bomb. He reportedly had prior knowledge of explosives from his previous job at a stone crushing plant.

He hid the bomb inside a home stereo system and wrapped it up as a wedding gift for the new couple. Police say Markam had a friend give him a ride to the venue, where he sneaked inside and hid the box beneath the piles of other gifts.

A few days after the wedding, Merawi and his brother plugged the stereo in and turned it on, triggering the explosion. The impact of the blast was strong enough to blow the roof off the house and collapse the walls.

Unfortunately, Merawi was killed immediately, and his brother later died at the hospital. The blast also injured four others, including a child. Merawi's wife was at her parents' home at the time.

Investigators responding to the incident were quick to question Merawi's family and wife — and all signs pointed to Markam.

According to Merawi's wife, she had a turbulent relationship with Markam before they even broke up. Markam was reportedly a married man with two children, and when Merawi's wife found out, she wanted to end things.

"Markam had initially lied to Merawi's wife that he was not married. After she realized the truth, she refused to marry him. But he kept threatening her to marry him," the police stated, as reported by the Independent.

With a prime suspect in mind, investigators dug deeper into Markam's past. They found out that he had previously worked at the stone crushing plant and knew how to make bombs. Local shops in the area also reported to police that Markam had recently purchased firecrackers, from which investigators believe he pulled gunpowder.

With all the evidence stacked against Markam, police arrested him at work. Markam later confessed his guilt to officers.

Singh stated, "The accused told the police that he had planted the explosive in the home theater and gifted it to the married couple in a bid to kill them. He used ammonium nitrate, petrol, and gunpowder retrieved from firecrackers The blast got triggered when the system was switched on."

According to The Economic Times, police have booked Markam for charges of murder, attempted murder, and other crimes under India's Explosives Substances Act.


Twitter/Haber Anadolu | Sarju Markam, the man accused of giving the newlyweds a stereo system loaded with explosives.

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