Bhopal/Gwalior: A 23-year-old man was killed allegedly by the family of a woman he was in relationship with in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district, a senior police officer said on Wednesday, adding prima facie it appeared to be a case of hate crime.
The father and maternal uncle of the woman, Kanishka Sharma (22), hired three shooters, who killed the man, identified as Yash Singh Rathore, a resident of Ghasmandi in Gwalior, on June 9, the officer said.
The woman’s father, Bhushan Sharma, and three shooters — Abhishek Nadia, Sunny and Sagar Shukla — were arrested late on Tuesday night, Gwalior superintendent of police (SP) Rajesh Chandel said, adding that the woman’s uncle, Pawan Tiwari, was absconding.
“The investigation so far has revealed that Bhushan Sharma was opposed to his daughter’s relationship with Yash Rathore as they belong to different castes,” the SP said.
Rathore belonged to an Other Backward Class (OBC) community, while the woman is a Brahmin.
“Sharma had tried to get his daughter married twice in the past, but on both occasions Yash showed his photos with the woman to the prospective groom families, who called off the wedding,” the SP said. “Sharma again fixed his daughter’s wedding on June 22, but fearing the 23-year-old might again sabotage it, he hatched the plan to get him killed.”
An investigating officer said that initially the accused planned to thrash Rathore and snatch his phone to delete the couple’s photos. “They, however, changed the plan and decided to get him killed,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}An investigating officer said that initially the accused planned to thrash Rathore and snatch his phone to delete the couple’s photos. “They, however, changed the plan and decided to get him killed,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}Police said the shooters were paid ₹1 lakh to kill Rathore.
A case of murder was registered at the Kila Gate police station in Gwalior on June 11 based on a complaint filed by Rathore’s father Ramvaran Rathore, officers said. During investigation, police said, they retrieved CCTV footage from the area and subsequently arrested the shooters, who have previous criminal records, on Tuesday night.
“Sharma and the three shooters have been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the SP said. “Efforts are being made to arrest Pawan, who is absconding.”
Ramvaran Rathore, father of the deceased, alleged that the woman’s entire family was involved in the murder. “Earlier, Bhushan Sharma had tried to implicate my son in a false case of abduction and when he failed, he got him killed,” he said. “Not only Bhushan and Pawan, but their entire family is involved in the murder.”
Police said they will also question the woman.