Missing advocate from Indore murdered, burnt and buried

Six days after the abduction of an advocate from Indore, police revealed that he was murdered and burnt. Police also nabbed three accused in connection with the heinous offence while two are still at large.

Six days after the abduction of an advocate from Indore, police revealed that he was murdered and burnt. Police also nabbed three accused in connection with the heinous offence while two are still at large.

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Addressing a press conference on Monday, DIG police Rakesh Gupta said, "The burnt body found in forests near Karahi village in Khargone is that of advocate Devendra Khandelwal, who reportedly went missing on December 23."

Police also said that Khandelwal was murdered owing to a property dispute over land worth Rs 1.6 crore with Lal Chand Hardia. However, the involvement of Hardia in the advocate's murder will have to be probed further.

Kishanlal Rai, a middleman, assured Hardia that he will solve the dispute between them. Rai then asked his accomplices Mahendra Thakur and Rupesh Sharma to eliminate Khandelwal, who started making friends with Khandelwal.

After about a month, the duo took Khandelwal for a booze party and drove him in an Indigo car and strangulated him to death, police said. The camera footage from the bar showed no sign of altercation between the advocate and the accused but based on call records and camera footage, police identified the accused and launched hunt for them.

Kishanlal Rai and Vijay Choukse joined the party to dispose off the advocate's body. They then drove the body into forests in Khargone, burnt the body using petrol and buried him. Interrogation revealed the involvement of Mahendra Thakur, Vijay Choukse, Prabhakar, Rupesh Sharma and Kishanlal Rai in the murder of Khandelwal.