Amritsar double-murder: ITBP personnel held, ‘confesses’ he asked lover to kill wife

AMRITSAR:A day after a 40-year-old woman allegedly hacked the wife of her tenant—with whom she had illicit relations—and her minor daughter to death in the Mohkampura area of Amritsar, police on Wednesday arrested the victim woman’s husband.

Suman, 28, and her daughter Riya, 5, were killed allegedly by Kamlesh and their bodies were disposed of about a kilometre away from her house. Suman’s husband Deva Nand, 30, an IndoTibetan Border Police (ITBP) constable, was not at home when the incident took place. The body of the girl child was buried, while that of Suman was thrown near a pond in Mohkampura. “Kamlesh had confessed to the crime and told that the sharp-edged weapon she used to commit the crime was given to her by Deva Nand with whom she had been in an illicit relation for four years,” police had said.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-City 2), Harpal Singh, said, “We traced Deva Nand’s location from the mobile phone and he was arrested from near Golden Gate in Amritsar.”

“During the interrogation, Deva Nand told us that he had been living as a tenant at Kamlesh’s house for four years. Around four months ago, Suman was ill and he brought her to the house as well. When Suman came to know about the illicit relation, she raised a voice against it. Deva Nand confessed that he instructed Kamlesh to kill his wife,” he said.

On Tuesday, police had also arrested Kamlesh’s husband Ram Tirath for helping her in disposing of Suman’s body.

A senior police official privy to the probe said, “It was Kamlesh’ second marriage with Ram Tirath, a rickshaw puller. Once Kamlesh had gone to ITBP office for a work and took Deva Nand’s contact number. Since then he had been living with Kamlesh. Ram Tirtah was not opposing his presence as she had been taking money from Deva Nand.”

Ram Tirath has been sent to judicial custody after being presented in a local court while police have taken one day remand of Kamlesh and Deva Nand.

“Our preliminary probe suggests Deva Nand had illicit relations with some other women also. The constable wanted to get rid of Kamlesh and his wife both. But he didn’t want to kill his daughter,” said the ADCP.

Police had registered a case under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused at Mohkampura police station.

DEVA NAND WAS ARRESTED NEAR THE GOLDEN GATE IN AMRITSAR