Air force corporal’s murder: Accused sent to police custody

BATHINDA The court of judicial magistrate on Saturday (first class) Karanbir Singh remanded air force sergeant Sulesh Kumar and his wife Anuradha in two-day police custody for allegedly murdering air force corporal Vipin Shukla, 27, at the Bhisiana air force station.

The police are yet to nab third accused, Shashi Bhushan, brother-in-law of Sulesh.

On Tuesday, the police recovered the chopped body of Shukla, a resident of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh, who was missing since February 8, from Sulesh’s official accommodation on Tuesday. The pieces of Shukla’s body were found stuffed in 16 polythene bags. A case under Section 302 (murder) had been registered against the accused.

Sulesh confessed to his crime on interrogation and claimed that the victim had illicit relations with his wife Anuradha. After discovering she was pregnant, Anuradha asked Shukla to marry her but he refused. He had also been spreading details of their relationship among other employees. Thus, Anuradha, with her husband and brother, hatched a conspiracy to kill Shukla , the police said. On February 8 , Sulesh called Shukla to help him pack as he was to change his residence, then attacked him with an axe, killing him. He then packed his body in a box and took it to his new accomodation , the police said.

On February 19, Sulesh cut the body into pieces and packed it in 16 polythene bags. He put some in the wardrobe and the others in the refrigerator.