Missing student’s body found buried in ex-landlord’s house

GHAZIABAD: The Ghaizabad Police Monday recovered the body of a 30-year-old law student, who was reported missing on October 9, from a pit in the basement of his former landlord’s house in Girdhar Enclave, Sahibabad.

The police said the man went missing on the morning of October 9 and they found the freshly cemented area in the basement Sunday night.

The victim was identified as Pankaj Kumar Singh from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. He was a fourthyear law student of a private college in Sahibabad. According to his family, Pankaj had left his rented home in the same locality around 9.50am on October 9 and was not seen thereafter. Earlier, Pankaj was living in the firstfloor flat of a building owned by one Hari Om Singh.

Manish Kumar Singh, Pankaj’s brother who lives in Delhi, said, “After my brother went missing, we checked with all his friends to know his whereabouts, but he could not be traced. I tried his phone around 11am on October 9 but it was switched off. Thereafter, I approached the police and lodged a complaint.”

The police lodged an FIR under section 365 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sahibabad police station and started investigation during the course of which they also visited Pankaj’s former landlord.

An officer at Sahibabad police station said, “Our teams visited his former landlord’s house in the same locality. After examining the basement, where three rooms were constructed, we found a freshly cemented area in one of the rooms. On probing, we realised that something was buried there. The man had vacated the flat there about 15 to 20 days ago.”

On Monday, accompanied by a magistrate, the police started digging the cemented area.

“We found a man’s decomposed body at a depth of about six feet. It was sent for autopsy. Hari Om had left his house on the day Pankaj went missing. Later, his wife and two daughters also left the house. The family’s disappearance aroused our suspicion. We are trying to trace them,” Circle officer (Sahibabad) Rakesh Kumar Mishra said.

“The motive behind the murder is unclear. But Hair Om and his family will be tracked and questioned,” he said.

Pankaj’s father Narendra Singh said, “My son was also operating a cyber café and his business was flourishing. He was earning about ₹2,000 a day and Hari Om wanted to take over the business. It is probable that my son was murdered over this.”