Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh have arrested four people, including the wife of a 45-year-old utensil trader and her alleged lover, in connection with his murder, officials said on Friday.
The victim, Umashankar Kaushal, alias Guddu, was allegedly killed after opposing his wife’s relationship with another man. His body was found near the Shitalmau canal in the Lalganj area on Thursday.
The other two accused have been identified as Vishal Shukla, alias Bittu, and Avinash Tiwari, alias Rajat. According to police, their names surfaced during the investigation into the murder.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Brijnandan Rai said the arrests were made by a joint team of Lalganj police and Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel.
The victim’s wife, Suman Devi, was arrested from the canal embankment near Rajendra Nagar crossing on Kalakankar Road, while Shahanshah, Bittu and Rajat were apprehended near the Jagnnathpur canal culvert.
Police also recovered Umashankar’s mobile phone and Aadhaar card, Rai said. The four accused were subsequently sent to jail after the completion of legal formalities.
BODY FOUND NEAR CANAL
The incident came to light on Thursday morning when Umashankar’s body was discovered in a pit near the Shitalmau canal, close to the Kali Mata temple, in Lalganj. He was a utensil trader and a resident of Khas Bazaar in the town.
According to police, the victim had left his home on his motorcycle on Wednesday night but did not return.
His body was later found with injuries allegedly inflicted by bricks, particularly to his head and chest.
The police reached the spot and initiated an investigation. A forensic team also examined the scene to collect evidence, while the body was sent for a postmortem examination to establish the cause of death.
The investigation began after Umashankar’s brother, Deepu Kaushal, lodged a complaint alleging the involvement of the victim’s wife and her purported lover in the murder.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case against Suman Devi and Shahanshah, a resident of Dharupur.
During the subsequent investigation, the alleged involvement of Bittu and Rajat also emerged, leading to their arrest.
According to police, Suman and Shahanshah were allegedly in a relationship, which Umashankar opposed after learning about it.
Investigators suspect that the dispute over the relationship led the accused to conspire to kill him.
Police also said an assault case had previously been registered against Suman, Shahanshah and unidentified persons in connection with the dispute. The earlier case is part of the background to the alleged conflict between the victim and the accused.
ACCUSED SENT TO JAIL
During interrogation, the four accused confessed to their involvement in the murder, police said.
Their claims and the circumstances surrounding the killing are subject to further investigation and legal proceedings.
With all four accused arrested, police are continuing the investigation to establish the sequence of events leading to Umashankar’s death and determine the precise roles allegedly played by each person.
The postmortem findings and other evidence collected during the investigation are expected to help establish further details of the case.
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Inputs by Sunil Yadav