After neighbours, 2 others held for minor’s kidnap & murder
LUCKNOW: Involvement of two more people is being probed in the sensational murder of a mason’s six-year-old daughter who was allegedly kidnapped on March 15 and three days later, her body was found hanging from a tree in Madiaon area.
After recovering the girl’s body on March 18, the police had arrested a couple, Brijesh and his wife Asha, who lived in the mason’s neighbourhood. On Thursday, police arrested the couple’s 16-year-old son and Brijesh’s brother in connection with the crime.
The police had expedited the investigation after facing flak for displaying a lackadaisical attitude in the case.
The victim girl, Class 2 student, had gone missing on March 15. Her father had lodged an FIR of kidnapping with Madiaon police station when the girl did not return home after school. Later, the girl’s decomposed body was found hanging from a tree in the thickets of Kolwa village in Maal area, nearly 30 kilometres from her house in Madiaon, on March 18.
Assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Meenakshi Katyayan said the couple Brijesh and his wife Asha, who were nextdoor neighbours of the girl’s family, were arrested for kidnapping and murder of the girl on March 18.
She said the detailed investigation revealed that the couple’s minor son, who runs a flower shop near Chandrika Devi temple in Bakshi Ka Talab, and Brijesh’s younger brother Chavinath, who lives at the couple’s native place in Lodhakheda village of Maal, were also involved in the crime.
The ASP said the spot where the girl’s body was found was barely two kilometres from the couple’s native village. Also, the detailed analysis of mobile locations all the accused confirmed their presence near the crime scene on the day of the girl’s disappearance on March 15, she added.
The ASP said the evidences collected so far suggested that they all were involved in the crime. She said after rigorous interrogation, Chavinath revealed that the couple took along the girl after her school got over by offering some eatables at around 11 am.
She said the couple took along the girl straightway to the crime spot in a tempo where other accused met them. They all strangulated the girl after taking her to the jungle and returned home after hanging her body from a tree, the ASP said.
She said they all returned to their original locations in Madiaon and Maal believing that the police would not suspect their involvement in the crime if they would be find at their houses.
The ASP said the motive behind the crime was the couple’s suspicion that the victim’s father was involved in the elopement of the couple’s 17-year-old daughter since March 10.
Notably, the girl’s father had alleged negligence of the police as he had raised suspicion over the couple and their family soon after her mysterious disappearance on March 15.
The police even took the couple in custody but released them after interrogation. For the alleged negligence, SSP Lucknow Deepak Kumar had suspended sub-inspector Veer Pal and transferred inspector in-charge of Madiaon police station Amar Nath Yadav.
ON THURSDAY, POLICE ARRESTED THE COUPLE’S 16YEAROLD SON AND BRIJESH’S BROTHER IN CONNECTION WITH THE CRIME