Kanpur industrialist killed wife to marry girlfriend: Police
Police on Wednesday arrested Jyoti Dasani’s industrialist husband Piyush Dasani, his love interest Manisha Makhija and her driver Awdhesh Yadav for murdering Jyoti, who, police said, had been objecting to Piyush’s prolonged intimacy with Manisha. Police said Piyush feared his wife Jyoti would spill the beans to her influential parents when she visited them during Raksha Bandhan. Soon after the murder, Piyush had told the police that about eight bike- borne men had intercepted their car near Swaroop Nagar and kidnapped Jyoti when they were on their way home, in Pandu Nagar, after a dinner at a restaurant. The two had been married for 16 months. According to the police, Manisha was also building pressure for marriage. She also came from a prominent family, which owned a big pan masala brand, police said. Ashutosh Pandey, IG Kanpur Zone, said the police were now questioning Manisha, who has also been charged with murder and conspiracy. Another girl, one of his employees with whom Piyush exchanged 150 texts in seven hours, was being blackmailed into having physical relationship and was not involved in the murder, Pandey said. Presenting the sequence of events that led to the gruesome murder, Pandey, who was accompanied by DIG Range RK Chaturvedi and SSP Kanpur KS Emmanuel, said Piyush and Manisha wanted to marry much before Piyush married Jyoti.
In fact, a horoscope mismatch resulted in the Dasanis and Makhijas calling off the marriage plans. Piyush then went into arranged matrimony with Jyoti 16 months ago but he continued his relationship with Manisha, the IG said.
But Jyoti quickly learnt about the affair and intially didn’t oppose hoping Piyush will mend ways. But since Piyush began disappearing between 1 am to 4 am each day from the house, she began to complain. First she took up the issue with her inlaws and then informed Piyush’s relatives, who were instrumental in arranging the marriage, living in Ahmedabad.
Police investigations suggested the murder was being planned for no less than two months. Piyush roped in Awdhesh, Manisha’s driver, and the two were in regular touch.
According to phone records, Piyush spoke to Awdhesh several times when the couple were dining in a restaurant on Parwati Bagla Road on the fateful night. He also spoke to Manisha and exchanged text messages with his other love interest, asking her to meet to him on Monday.
It has emerged that he had given Manisha five sim cards—two of them were procured on identities of his employees using their Banda addresses. In the last two months, Piyush and Manisha spoke 663 times on their genuine numbers.
The police said during these conversations only a conspiracy was hatched to eliminate Jyoti. Piyush roped in Awdhesh, who knew about their relationship. On the fate night, minutes before taking Jyoti out on dinner, Piyush visited Manisha and gave her a blackberry phone and indstructed her to destroy all the SIM cards when he asked her to do so.
At the restaurant, Piyush ducked CCTV coverage while speaking to Awdhesh and then Manisha. He told Jyoti that they would go for a long drive and that he had arranged a driver. An unsuspecting Jyoti joined him in rear seat while Awdhesh and his friend occupied the front.
Between the isolated CS Azad University and Rawatpur stretch, two motorcycle-borne youth Renu and Sonu intercepted the car. When Awdhesh stopped the car, the duo stabbed Jyoti in the back 17 times.
Thereafter, Awdhesh took the car and left it at faraway Panki. Piyush went home, changed his shirt, deleted all the call logs and messages and informed the police.
“Piyush has been charged with murder and sent to jail. Awdhesh has been arrested and he will be interrogated to retrieve some missing links,” said Pandey.