The prime accused in the murder of 25-year-old Rajiv Gupta remains at large, police confirmed on Saturday. Gupta’s body was discovered buried in a pit near the Pinjore-Nalagarh bypass on August 23.
On August 28, police arrested three suspects believed to be relatives of the victim’s female friend. Police said Gupta was stabbed multiple times in the chest with an awl, strangled with a scarf, and his neck was broken before his body was buried. Police have also recovered the awl and the spade used in the crime.
The three male accused—the woman’s brother Kamaldeep, alias Kundan, from Manimajra, and her two maternal uncles, Satyanarayan, alias Satta, and Vinod, alias Bodda from Panipat—were sent to judicial custody on Saturday after completing their two-day remand. Police revealed that Satyanarayan and Vinod are currently out on bail after serving part of a 20-year jail term in a previous murder case.
Police said the victim and his female friend often met at hotels in Kalka. On August 9, the woman called Gupta to Kalka but arrived with her brother and two uncles, having planned to kill him. The group had bought an awl and arranged a spade for the crime. Police have also recovered the scooter Gupta used when leaving his home.
The victim, originally from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, lived in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, Chandigarh. He had a love marriage earlier this year in April but allegedly maintained a relationship with the accused woman. The two reportedly ran away together two to three months prior to the incident.
{{/usCountry}}The victim, originally from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, lived in Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, Chandigarh. He had a love marriage earlier this year in April but allegedly maintained a relationship with the accused woman. The two reportedly ran away together two to three months prior to the incident.
{{/usCountry}}His father filed a missing person complaint at the IT Park police station in Chandigarh on August 18, after Gupta left home on August 9 and his phone was switched off. His last known location was traced to Pinjore.
Gupta worked as a supervisor. Prior to the murder, the woman’s brother and maternal uncles had allegedly threatened him, prompting a complaint to Chandigarh police.
The Pinjore police recovered Gupta’s body on August 23 and registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including murder and criminal conspiracy.