E-Paper
Man kills father, sister, niece over property dispute in Prayagraj
Eldest son Mukesh Patel murdered three family members over a property dispute in Prayagraj, confessing to the crime after their disappearance.
Three members of a family were murdered by the eldest son over a dispute related to property worth ₹1.5 crore, in the Mauaima area of Prayagraj. The victims—Ram Singh, 55, his daughter, Sadhana Devi, 21, and granddaughter Aastha, 14—had been missing since 11 pm on Friday.
Ram Singh, a resident of Lokpur Bisani village, under the Mauaima police station area, had two sons—Mukesh Patel and Mukund Patel. Mukesh, the elder son and the accused, lived separately with his wife, while Mukund stayed with his father, sister Sadhana, and niece Aastha. Aastha is the daughter of Ram Singh’s elder daughter, Kiran.
According to the investigation, family tensions escalated after Ram Singh transferred his village house and 4.5 bighas of agricultural land to Mukund, reportedly because he did not get along with Mukesh. This decision became the root of the conflict between the two brothers.
The dispute took a violent turn on the evening of January 3 when Mukesh shot Mukund, hitting him in the neck. Mukesh then fled with his family. Mukund, despite his injury, managed to reach the hospital and later tried calling his father, but Ram Singh’s phone remained switched off.
When police checked Mukesh’s house, they found it locked. After breaking it open, officers discovered bloodstains on the bed, raising further suspicion. However, extensive searches in the area yielded no immediate results.
Based on Mukund’s complaint, a missing persons case was filed for Ram Singh, Sadhana, and Aastha. Over the next two days, police conducted a large‑scale search operation using drones to scan the village and surrounding fields, but the three family members remained untraceable.
The breakthrough came on Monday when police arrested Mukesh Patel. During interrogation, he confessed to killing all three missing relatives and dumping their bodies in a 20‑foot‑deep well about 200 meters away from the house. He admitted to covering the bodies with straw to conceal the crime.
According to DCP (Ganga Nagar) Kuldeep Gunawat, efforts are underway to recover the bodies from the well. He confirmed that Mukesh is in custody and has confessed to the murders.
