A 50-year-old man from Pratapgarh was murdered in Amethi district after stepping out of his niece’s house late at night upon receiving a phone call. The assailants allegedly beheaded him, dragged the body for around 150 metres and dumped it in a drain before fleeing with the severed head.
According to police, the victim was identified as Vijay Singh, 50, a resident of Chowk Dharamshala ward in Pratapgarh, through an Aadhaar card found in his pocket. Upon being informed, family members rushed to Amethi.
As per reports, Singh, who ran a garment shop on a footpath near Government Girls’ Inter College in Pratapgarh, had gone to his niece Alka’s house in Bahadurpur near the Jais railway station road in Amethi on Wednesday. Around 10:30 pm, he left the house after receiving a phone call, telling his niece that he was heading to the Deva Sharif dargah. He did not return thereafter.
On Thursday morning, villagers found a headless body in the Naiya drain, a short distance from the Banda-Tanda National Highway near Mukhetiya village under Jais police station area.
Police took the body into custody and called in a forensic team to collect evidence from the spot. Alka later reached the site and identified the deceased as her maternal uncle, Vijay Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Police took the body into custody and called in a forensic team to collect evidence from the spot. Alka later reached the site and identified the deceased as her maternal uncle, Vijay Singh.
{{/usCountry}}Investigators said the crime scene showed clear signs of brutality. The killers allegedly severed Singh’s head, dragged the body and dumped it into the drain. The crushed severed head was later recovered about 100 metres away from the body.
Amethi superintendent of police Aparna Rajat Kaushik reached the spot and conducted a preliminary inquiry. Police said teams had been formed to investigate the murder and identify those involved.