A murder case in Uttar Pradesh’s Jalaun district has unravelled into a failed honeytrap conspiracy that ended in the killing of a man, police said.
Six people, including a woman, were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the case. The main accused has been identified as Krishpal alias Kuldeep, a cousin of the victim’s.
Police said the victim, Raghavendra, was a schoolteacher by profession. Krishpal, described as a gambling and alcohol addict by the police, had accumulated significant debt and had borrowed money from Raghavendra as well.
When Raghavendra began pressuring him to repay the loan, Krishpal allegedly conspired with his girlfriend, Sonia, to silence him through blackmail.
As part of the plan, Krishpal and his associates allegedly lured Raghavendra to a village in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh on the pretext of returning the money.
After reaching a farm, the accused allegedly tried to take objectionable photographs of Raghavendra with Sonia, intending to use the pictures to blackmail him, Jalaun’s Superintendent of Police Durgesh Kumar said.
When Raghavendra resisted, the group allegedly assaulted him and strangled him to death with a data cable, the officer said.
The accused then dumped the body in nearby bushes. A missing person’s report was filed on February 11, a day after Raghavendra disappeared from his village.
Police formed three teams to trace him. His body was recovered days later, and a murder case was registered on February 14.
Relying on informant inputs and technical surveillance, investigators arrested Krishpal and five others, including Sonia. Police said the case was cracked within 72 hours of registering the murder case, prompting the SP to announce a cash reward of Rs 25,000 for the team.
A pistol, two live cartridges and two data cables were among the items recovered from the accused, police said.
SP Kumar added that Krishpal has a prior criminal record and had previously been booked in three cases, including eve-teasing and theft.
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(Based on inputs from Mohd Aleem Siddiqui)
