Doctor kills driver, tries to dissolve body in acid
POLICE SAID WHEN
THEY FOUND THE DOCTOR, HIS SHIRT WAS STAINED WITH BLOOD AND BODY PARTS OF THE DRIVER WERE FOUND IN A DRUM FILLED WITH ACID INSIDE HIS HOUSE
BHOPAL: A government doctor in Madhya Pradesh allegedly killed his driver, cut his body into over two dozen pieces and tried to dissolve them in an acid-filled drum, police said on Tuesday, claiming that the accused, who was in a relationship with the victim’s wife, wanted him out of the way.
The doctor was apprehended after his neighbours became suspicious of his behaviour. The incident took place in Hoshangabad. Hoshangabad city superintendent of police Arvind Saxena said, “the accused Dr Sunil Mantri (58), who lives in Anand Nagar, an upscale locality in Hoshangabad, has confessed to killing his servant, Birendra alias Biru Pachauri (30).”
Saxena said Mantri, a widower, is posted at the civil hospital in Itarsi and used to live alone in his two storied house in Anand Nagar. His wife died in April, 2017, and his 26-year old son and 23-year-old daughter work in Mumbai.
Police said Mantri’s late wife and Biru’s wife used to run a boutique together at his Anand Nagar house. After Mantri’s wife’s death, Biru’s wife continued running the boutique alone. It was then that the two entered into a relationship, police sus- pect. They add that Biru became suspicious and threatened Mantri of exposure. “It is possible that Biru was extorting money from Mantri,” Saxena said, adding that Biru’s wife will be questioned in this regard.
Quoting Mantri’s statement, police said the doctor decided to kill Biru. Police said Mantri somehow convinced Biru to become his driver by telling the latter that it was the easiest way to stay with him all day and make sure he was not having affair with Biru’s wife. Monday was Biru’s first day at work. The two went to Itarsi civil hospital, some 20 km from Hoshangabad, and returned in the evening. At home, Biru reportedly complained of tooth ache and Mantri gave him a strong pain killer injection, making him feel drowsy.
Saxena said that Mantri then cut Biru’s throat with a knife and then chopped his body into two dozen pieces with a saw he had bought only a few days ago. As part of his plan, Saxena said, Mantri had also bought acid to dissolve the body parts and erase all evidence.
Police said that neighbours became suspicious of Mantri’s behaviour on Tuesday morning. They say he kept coming in and going out of his house, and looked very agitated. The police were alerted and they confronted Mantri. The doctor’s shirt was stained with blood and, in a room on the first floor, the police found the drum filled with acid and body parts, Saxena said.