Three days after the murder of Jhansi’s first woman auto driver Anita Choudhary, 45, the prime suspect, Mukesh Jha, remains untraceable, with police now probing whether he jumped into the Betwa river or staged his disappearance to evade arrest.

So far, investigators have found Jha’s car abandoned on the Betwa river bridge, with its fog lights still on and the driver’s door ajar. A country-made pistol, believed to have been used in the shooting, and a SIM card were recovered from the vehicle.

Police have issued alerts across Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring districts amid fears that the suspect may have crossed state borders.

“Four teams are working continuously to trace him,” Jhansi SSP BBTGS Murthy said. “One team from Bharua Sagar police station is combing the river to rule out the possibility that he jumped in, while other teams are tracking him at multiple locations, even outside Jhansi,” he added.

Investigators say Jha, who ran a hotel business, had been in a live-in relationship with Anita for nearly four years before she recently walked out — development police believe is central to the case.

According to officials, Jha, who is married and has a son, entered a serious relationship with Anita in 2020. Anita, also married, had three children and was living independently after separating from her husband, Dwarika Choudhary.

The relationship had already turned volatile six months ago. The two reportedly argued in a public place after Jha suspected Anita was speaking to another man. Anita later lodged an FIR against him, which was investigated by the then Navabad circle officer. Soon after, Jha allegedly consumed poison and was admitted to the Rani Laxmibai Memorial Medical College. Anita visited him there, but the meeting escalated into a confrontation with Jha’s wife. It was after this episode that Anita ended the relationship, police said.

“Even after she walked out, Jha kept trying to win her back,” said an officer involved in the investigation.

“Meanwhile, Anita focused on work. She drove day and night, managed her household on her own and even married off one of her daughters without any support,” the officer said.

On the fateful night, Anita was driving her auto to drop a travel agent, Arun Kumar, at his house. Kumar has told police that a Maruti Ignis began chasing the three-wheeler. Sensing danger, Anita sped up, but the car overtook them and blocked the road.

According to an officer, Kumar said he saw Mukesh jump out and fire at her from close range. “The sound was so loud that I panicked and fled,” Kumar was quoted as saying by the officer.

In his statement to the police later that day, Kumar said fear had left him disoriented, delaying his approach to the authorities.

Anita’s family has named three individuals in the FIR. Police have taken two into custody so far, including Jha’s son. Officials said investigators were working on two possibilities — that Jha may have jumped into the river, or that the abandoned car was meant to create the impression of suicide while he escaped elsewhere.

“Crucial hours were lost because the initial information suggested a road accident and the eyewitness ran away,” an official said.