Lucknow killer’s slipper slip-up leads cops straight to him
Seeking to mislead investigators, Mansharam dragged the body to the grave of Sahjram, who had died by suicide in 2022.
In a dramatic turn in a murder case from Lucknow’s Kubhara village under Nagaram police station limits, police on Tuesday arrested a man whose attempt to cover up the crime unravelled due to a single slipper he accidentally left behind.
The accused, Mansharam, allegedly strangled his uncle, Mahesh Kori, 35, during a drunken fight and tried to shift blame onto another family by placing the body on a grave linked to a past family dispute. But investigators traced the mismatched footwear at the crime scene, one slipper belonging to Mansharam and the other to the victim, which ultimately led to his arrest, police said in a press conference on Wednesday.
According to deputy commissioner of police (DCP) South Nipun Agarwal, the body was discovered early on April 5 in an open field, lying on the grave of a deceased villager named Sahjram. A belt was tied around Mahesh’s neck. Initially, Mahesh’s wife Sunita lodged a complaint naming Lavkush, son of Sahjram, along with his mother, sister, and three other relatives as suspects.
The DCP further said that the murder occurred on the evening of April 4, after Mahesh and Mansharam consumed alcohol under a banyan tree, around 200 metres from the Kubhara Tiraaha liquor shop. An argument broke out between them, and Mahesh reportedly slapped his nephew. In response, Mansharam pushed him to the ground and strangled him with his own belt.
Seeking to mislead investigators, Mansharam dragged the body to the grave of Sahjram, who had died by suicide in 2022. At the time, a suicide note had accused Mahesh and his wife Sunita of harassment, leading to their arrest and a three-month jail term. Hoping to exploit this history, Mansharam attempted to make it appear that Lavkush’s family had murdered Mahesh in retaliation, police said.
DCP South Nipun Agarwal said that during his escape, Mansharam mistakenly left behind one of his slippers and wore one of Mahesh’s by accident. This footwear mismatch, one slipper at the scene and another recovered from his home, proved crucial in solving the case.
“The forensic clues and circumstantial evidence, including the slipper and the belt, connected Mansharam to the crime. He was arrested on Tuesday night and confessed during interrogation,” said assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Mohanlalganj Rajneesh Verma.
Following the breakthrough, police cleared Lavkush and his family of all charges and booked Mansharam for murder.
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