According to the police, the death of Ayushi’s father, Vijay Kumar Sharma, a government employee, led to disagreements between her and Neeraj, with the police claiming that while Ayushi wanted to take the government job offered to the family on compassionate grounds, her mother took it. The dispute allegedly soon expanded into disagreements over family property.

Investigators said Ayushi later moved out of her home and into a house in Kalyan Nagar on Tonk Road that she shared with her cousin Balram. It’s here that police claim the murder plot was devised, with Balram allegedly agreeing to help in exchange for a share in the family’s property in Bharatpur.

Police claim the duo hired a hitman for Rs 7 lakh and that the murder was carefully planned — investigators said the suspects tracked Neeraj’s routine and found that she returned home after dropping Ayushi’s brother at tuition classes.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Harishankar Sharma said examination of CCTV footage first raised doubts over the claim that it was an accident.

“It was clear in the footage that the car was travelling at nearly 12 kmph. There was sufficient room for the car to pass but it looked like it deliberately hit her,” he said.

Further examination also helped them spot some people constantly talking on the phone — they allegedly turned out to be accomplices tracking Neeraj’s movements. Police are now trying to identify all the suspects.