UP woman sells land for Rs 10 lakh, pays two men, gets husband murdered
A 52-year-old farmer was shot dead in a forest in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar on September 27. Four days later, police said they had solved the murder, uncovering a conspiracy in which the victim's wife, Rekha, sold land for Rs 10 lakh to get her husband killed so she could be with her lover.
The victim, identified as Praveen alias Parvinder, was found dead after he was shot twice. Following the incident, the police launched an investigation and cracked the case within two and a half days.
The investigation revealed that Rekha had been in a relationship with Vikas, a family acquaintance who worked as a contractor involved in earth-filling work. Police said their relationship began around 2018-19 and the two wanted to marry. Praveen eventually found out about the relationship and opposed it, after which Rekha and Vikas decided to remove him from their way.
According to the police, Rekha arranged Rs 10 lakh for the murder by selling a piece of land. Vikas then brought in Raja alias Kala and Kalyan Singh to execute the plan. Raja already had a financial dispute with Praveen, who owed him around Rs 1.5 lakh. Police said this became another reason for Raja to agree to the killing. Vikas promised Raja and Kalyan Rs 3 lakh each for carrying out the murder.
On September 27, Praveen was called to the forest. Raja and Kalyan were waiting for him there and shot him, with each man firing one bullet. They then fled the spot. Praveen's body was later sent for postmortem, where two bullet wounds were found.
The investigation also traced the communication used to plan and execute the murder. Police recovered four mobile phones, including a newly purchased handset and SIM card that, according to investigators, had been used specifically for the operation. A Swift car and Praveen's motorcycle were also recovered.
Talking about the investigation, senior cop Sanjay Kumar Verma said police recovered two illegal .315-bore country-made pistols along with live and spent cartridges from the accused. The weapons were sent for further investigation.
Police have arrested Rekha, Vikas, Raja, and Kalyan Singh and registered cases against the accused under sections 103(1), 3(5) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, besides invoking the Arms Act provisions.
Further investigation is underway.- Ends
