Former MP deputy chief minister’s son arrested for killing brother with family

CCTV footage showed Harbhajan, his wife and two daughters stepped out of the house, purportedly for a walk, around 4.15 am, and within minutes, two unidentified masked persons entered the house.

Former deputy chief minister of united Madhya Pradesh, Pyarelal Kanwar’s son, daughter-in-law, and five-year-old granddaughter were found murdered at their residence in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district on Wednesday morning, said police.

Chhattisgarh Police said the killings were done over a monetary dispute in the family (Getty Images/iStockphoto/Representative use)

Kanwar’s son Harish (45), his wife Sumitra (30) and daughter Aashi Kanwar (5) were killed by sharp-edged weapons, police said. Later, five persons, including Harish’s elder brother Harbhajan, Harbhajan’s wife Dhankuwar, brother in law Parmeshwar with his two aides—Ramprasad and Surendra, were arrested on the suspicion of plotting and executing the murder of their kin.

Police said the killings were done over a monetary dispute in the family. A minor was also named in the case. Initial investigations suggest Harish was more influential of the two brothers and controlled the family’s finances, leading to Harbhajan developing a grudge against him, police said.

“A scrutiny of the murder spot suggested violence possibly triggered by deep rage against the victim. They were also signs of struggle before the murder,” said Korba police chief, SP (superintendent of police) Abhishek Meena.

“The killers didn’t kill Harish’s mother, which appeared strange. We later found that some time after the murders, Harbhajan’s brother-in-law Parmeshwar was admitted to a hospital on the same day. When we quizzed him, we got even more suspicious. Upon scrutiny of his phone, we found some messages sent to Harbhjan’s daughter, following which we detained him,” said the SP.

Police said, Parmeshwar later confessed that he and his aide Ramprasad were waiting near the house since 4am and they entered the house after receiving a message from Harbhajan’s daughter and killed the trio.

After his arrest, Parmeshwar told police that “monetary transactions between him and Harish” led to the murder, said the SP. Police are investigating the details.