₹50L extortion plot ends in murder of nursing officer and aide; five arrested

Bodies of Pawan Kumar Garg and Sachin Vishwakarma yet to be recovered; 5 accused — Nitin Mishra, Avneesh Kumar Maurya, Prakash Singh, Suraj Singh and Mohit Singh — arrested

LUCKNOW A ₹50 lakh ransom plot allegedly ended in a double murder after five men abducted a Lucknow assistant nursing superintendent and his associate, held them captive and strangled them when they couldn’t extract the money, police said on Friday. The accused allegedly took the bodies to Chahlari Ghat in Sitapur and dumped them into the Ghaghra river.

According to police, money was at the centre of the alleged conspiracy. Nitin, who knew Garg, had allegedly learnt that Garg had around ₹50-60 lakh and was looking to purchase land. Investigators said the accused then planned to kidnap him and extract ₹50 lakh as ransom. (Pic for representation)

The bodies of Pawan Kumar Garg, 45, and Sachin Vishwakarma, in his mid thirties, had not been recovered till Friday evening. Teams of the State Disaster Response Force, water police, Provincial Armed Constabulary, divers and local police were conducting a search at the ghat.

The five accused—Nitin Mishra, Avneesh Kumar Maurya, Prakash Singh, Suraj Singh and Mohit Singh—were arrested by joint teams of Madiaon police, the Lucknow crime branch and the northern zone surveillance/crime team.

According to police, money was at the centre of the alleged conspiracy. Nitin, who knew Garg, had allegedly learnt that Garg had around ₹50-60 lakh and was looking to purchase land. Investigators said the accused then planned to kidnap him and extract ₹50 lakh as ransom.

The alleged plan was put into action on September 27 when Nitin called Garg to Bhitauli crossing. Garg arrived with Vishwakarma. The two were subsequently taken to a dhaba in Itaunja, where they consumed alcohol and food. Following an argument, the accused allegedly took both men to Nitin’s under-construction house in Annamau. There, police said, the two men were held captive in separate rooms and Garg was asked to arrange ₹50 lakh.

The accused also allegedly sought to move Garg’s vehicle away from the dhaba. Nitin took the car, which had been left there, and abandoned it in Sitapur before returning to the house, police said.

The ransom plan didn’t work out when Garg refused to pay, telling the accused that he neither had the money nor could arrange it. Around noon on September 28, police said, the accused feared that releasing the two hostages could lead to their identification and a police complaint. They allegedly then strangled Garg and Vishwakarma with ropes.

Around 5.30pm, the accused allegedly took the bodies through Mahmoodabad to Chahlari Ghat and threw them into the Ghaghra from a bridge.

Garg had left his Keshav Nagar home around 8pm on September 27 and did not return. His nephew Sanjay Garg lodged a missing-person report on September 29. Police subsequently examined CCTV footage, toll plaza records and other technical and physical evidence before registering an FIR at Madiaon police station under Section 140(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police recovered Garg’s chain, ring, driving licence, photocopies of his Aadhaar card and bank statement. A jeep and a car allegedly used in the crime were also seized.

Officials said Nitin has a 2020 case under the IPC and Epidemic Diseases Act. Suraj and Prakash are named in a 2021 case involving gang rape, criminal intimidation and provisions of the SC/ST Act, while Prakash also has a 2020 case under the IPC and SC/ST Act. The criminal records of the five accused in other police stations and districts are being verified, police said.