Bahraich (UP), Oct 16 Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich have arrested a married couple for allegedly killing the wife’s ‘lover’, stuffing the body in a plastic sack, and dumping it in a canal, officials said.
The couple allegedly lured the victim – who worked in Mumbai – to their home in Shravasti under a pretence before committing the crime, Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural), Durga Prasad Tiwari, said on Thursday night.
The investigation also revealed the involvement of the woman’s father and brother, who are absconding, Tiwari said.
According to the officer, police found the body of an unidentified man stuffed inside a plastic sack on the banks of the Piprahwa canal in the Matera police station area on October 11.
Police circulated pamphlets carrying the deceased’s photograph, which led the family to identify him as Akash Gupta (28), son of Mahadev Gupta, a resident of Basti district.
Based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s brother, a case was registered at the Matera police station on October 13, naming Rajkumar Gupta and his wife Poonam Devi as accused.
After analysing call detail records, CCTV camera footage and subsequent interrogations, police placed the couple under arrest, the ASP said.
According to Tiwari, Akash, who worked in Mumbai, was in a relationship with Poonam, whose husband Rajkumar was aware of their affair and had even filed a police complaint against him.
But despite being cautioned, Akash kept pressuring Poonam to meet him, Rajkumar claimed.
The couple invited Akash to their home on the evening of October 10 under a pretence. After a verbal altercation, Rajkumar, Poonam, her father Phoolchand and her brother Anuj allegedly strangled Akash with an electrical wire and thrashed him with sticks, leading to his death, the officer said.
The accused then stuffed the body in a plastic sack and dumped it in the Pirahwa canal, from where it was recovered by police the next day.
Based on the disclosures made by the accused, police also seized the electrical wire used in the crime, two sticks, and a Bolero car used to transport the body.
Efforts are underway to trace and arrest Phoolchand and Anuj, the ASP said.
(PTI News)
