Make killers feel same pain: Kin of IAF corporal murdered over illicit affair
Accused couple sent to twoday police remand, third accused on the run
BATHINDA: “I had sent my son to serve the nation, but never thought he would be murdered brutally like this,” said Triveni Shukla, 54, the inconsolable father of Indian Air Force corporal Vipin Shukla, 27. He was in Bathinda a day after Vipin, a ground staffer with the IAF at the Bhisiana station here, was found to have been murdered allegedly by his paramour, her husband and her brother, and his body cut up and stuffed into 16 polythene bags.
While police says it’s a case of an extra-marital affair gone wrong, the family allege “foul play”. Vipin, who has two kids with his wife, is a native of Beninagar village of Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh. He had joined the IAF in 2009 and was posted at Bhisiana station in May 2014.
He was missing since February 8, after which a search by police and the IAF led to the living quarters of accused Sulesh Kumar, an IAF sergeant, his wife Anuradha, and her brother Shashi Bhushan.
It is alleged that Vipin had got Anuradha pregnant, but was refusing to marry her. She, in turn, has said he was forcing her to continue with the affair despite her unwillingness. Police say that Anuradha hatched the conspiracy, and Sulesh called Vipin to their quarters on the pretext of help in packing some household articles on February 8 evening. That is when the murder was committed with an axe, and the body hacked with a meat cleaver for discreet disposal.
In the meantime, based on a complaint by his wife Kumkum, a case for kidnapping was registered against unknown persons at Nathana police station on February 15. Superintendent of police (SP) Gurmeet Singh said a team of the police and station officials were conducting a search on Tuesday when foul smell emanating from the quarters of Sulesh was observed.
“The killers must be hanged and be made to go through the same pain and torture that my son felt,” said Triveni, who along with other family members was at the Bathinda civil hospital for Vipin’s post-mortem. However, the doctors shifted the body to Government Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot.
Sulesh and Anuradha have already been arrested while Shashi is on the run.
TWO-DAY REMAND
Meanwhile, the Bathinda police got two-day remand of the two arrested accused, to recover the weapon used in the murder besides collecting other clues.
Deputy superintendent of police Kuldeep Singh Sohi said the police had sought seven-day custody.
“We are yet to recover the weapon used in crime, while teams have been dispatched to Uttar Pradesh to nab the third accused, Shashi Bhushan,” Sohi added.