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Slain realtor’s driver faked texts, planned to plant phone on train
He allegedly tried to create an impression that Dhirendra Singh was out with someone and would return home late; ₹25,000 reward announced on his brother
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LUCKNOW The driver of murdered Unnao-based realtor Dhirendra Pratap Singh, 45, allegedly orchestrated a cover-up by using the victim’s mobile phone to send misleading text messages to his wife, police investigations have revealed. The accused, Ravi Tiwari, allegedly attempted to create the illusion that the realtor was alive and delayed at a mall.
According to DCP (south) Md Mushtaq, Tiwari allegedly sent messages from Dhirendra’s phone to his wife after the murder, suggesting that he was partying with someone and would return home late. The messages were intended to create a false impression about Dhirendra’s whereabouts, the officer added.
Tiwari allegedly subsequently sent another message from the victim’s phone telling his wife that Dhirendra had called her to a mall near Ekana Stadium. However, she became suspicious when Dhirendra repeatedly failed to answer her calls, after which she informed the police.
The realtor was allegedly abducted and murdered in Lucknow, with police suspecting a dispute involving land in Unnao as a possible motive. The body was recovered from a canal near Dubagga on Sunday, more than 22 km from the place where he was allegedly abducted. He was suspected to have been shot in the leg and head inside his SUV before his body was allegedly dumped in the canal.
The sequence of events proved crucial to the investigation. Police took Tiwari along while searching for Dhirendra at the mall, and investigators subsequently began examining his movements and the messages sent from the victim’s phone.
Police said Tiwari had allegedly planned Dhirendra’s murder months in advance with his associates. His role was to take Dhirendra out of his house on the pretext of meeting some people from Unnao over a land deal. The opportunity allegedly came when Dhirendra’s two security personnel were on leave.
Tiwari allegedly took Dhirendra along with him and, instead of taking him to the purported meeting, drove him towards the planned murder spot. Investigators suspect that Dhirendra was kidnapped and subsequently killed inside the car.
The probe revealed that the conspirators allegedly divided responsibilities among themselves, including killing Dhirendra, disposing of his body and the car and getting rid of his mobile phone.
According to police, the accused allegedly planned to place Dhirendra’s phone on a moving train so that its location would keep changing, misleading investigators into believing that he was travelling.
After the murder, Tiwari and another accused, Omkar Sahu, were allegedly supposed to return to their normal routines to avoid suspicion. The body was allegedly to be transported through Kisan Path and dumped in a canal near Salemapur Amethia village in Dubagga.
Police said Tiwari had conducted more than 10 reconnaissance trips with Omkar and the alleged shooters, covering Dhirendra’s house and the routes that were allegedly part of the murder plan.
₹25,000 reward on driver’s brother
Meanwhile, police have declared a ₹25,000 reward on Ravi Tiwari’s brother Jai Kishan Tiwari, who investigators allege was part of the wider conspiracy to eliminate Dhirendra. “Tiwari is co-accused and one of the prime conspirators in the case and is absconding since the murder,” the DCP added.
Police are trying to trace Jai Kishan and establish his specific role in the planning and execution of the alleged conspiracy.
Investigators are also examining whether Dhirendra’s growing political activities had any role in the murder. Dhirendra, chairman of the Maharana Pratap Charitable Foundation, was reportedly preparing to contest the Bangarmau assembly election in Unnao and had developed contacts with several political leaders while undertaking social work through his organisation.
