SIT probing post threatening to expose police officer

KANPUR: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of Mahoba businessman Indrakant Tripathi has included in its investigation a social media post in which Tripathi had said he would expose the then superintendent of police, Mahoba, Manilal Patidar and present evidence of his complicity in corruption, officials privy to the matter said.

Tripathi was murdered hours after this post. He had called a press conference at his stone crushing unit the next day to share the supposed evidence and make disclosures, said the officials. Before the press conference could be held, Tripathi was found with a bullet wound in his neck on September 8. He died in a Kanpur hospital on September 12. Patidar was suspended last

week. Before the social media post, the businessman had released a video statement addressed to chief minister Yogi Adityanath and made serious allegations about the police officer who, he claimed, could get him murdered.

Following this post, he spoke to a politician over the phone. He also met someone in a village close to the place he was later found mortally wounded inside his car.

The Special Investigation Team spoke to Keshav Sen, a businessman and his family members. Patidar had an attempt to murder case registered against Sen on August 29. While the family refused to comment, those aware of the issue said the case was also part of the SIT investigation.

The team also spoke for several hours with Tripathi’s two business associates Bal Kishore alias Ballu Maharaj and Purshottam Saini. The local police had attempted to take them into custody, first when they were attending Tripathi’s funeral and then following a raid.