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Blackmail, past relationships: Balrampur 'road accident' deaths turn out to be double murder
Two deaths blamed on a road accident in UP's Balrampur have now turned into a double murder case.
Two deaths initially blamed on a road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district have been traced to a premeditated double murder allegedly orchestrated over a past relationship and suspected blackmail, police said on Wednesday.
Two men, Deepchand alias Chhotu and his friend Manoj, were allegedly strangled to death before their bodies were dumped near a roadside drain along with a motorcycle to stage a fatal crash in the Maharajganj Tarai police station area on Monday, officials said, adding four accused, including a woman, her husband and two relatives, were arrested within 24 hours of the incident on Tuesday.
Addressing media persons, Balrampur superintendent of police Vikas Kumar said the case was initially registered as a road accident against unidentified persons after the bodies were found near the Sevarhawa drain in Laukhawa.
“Preliminary information suggested that the two had died in a road mishap. However, evidence collected from the spot, along with call detail record (CDR) analysis and technical surveillance, pointed to foul play,” Kumar said.
The investigation later revealed that the deaths resulted from a pre-planned murder allegedly linked to a past relationship between the prime accused, Khushboo Verma, and Deepchand.
According to investigators, Deepchand and Khushboo had allegedly been in a relationship before her marriage, and police suspect the contact continued even after she got married.
Officials said Deepchand allegedly had old photographs of Khushboo and was purportedly using them to exert pressure on her.
“Upset over the continued pressure and fearing further complications, Khushboo, along with her husband and relatives, allegedly hatched a conspiracy to eliminate him,” the SP said.
Police said Deepchand was called to a location outside the village by the accused. He arrived there with his friend Manoj. Khushboo Verma, her husband Anil Kumar, her brother Ajay Kumar Verma and cousin Santosh Kumar, who were waiting at the spot, allegedly attacked the two men and strangled them to death, investigators said.
After the killings, the accused allegedly placed the bodies on a motorcycle and dumped them near the drain to make it appear as if the victims had died in a road accident. During the probe, police recovered broken pieces of a mobile phone belonging to one of the deceased, a necklace allegedly linked to the woman accused, and the motorcycle used to stage the scene. Police said these recoveries, coupled with CDR analysis and other digital evidence, helped crack the case.
All four accused — Khushboo Verma, Anil Kumar, Ajay Kumar Verma and Santosh Kumar — were arrested and remanded to judicial custody after being produced before a court, police said.
The FIR has since been amended to include charges of murder and criminal conspiracy, replacing the earlier accident-related sections, police said, adding further probe was ongoing.
