Missing Dhar farmer staged his death to elope with lover

Dhar police on Tuesday successfully managed to trace a farmer who had vanished from Sardarpur village about five days back, after plotting a scene of his murder to mislead police and his family members.

Dhar police on Tuesday successfully managed to trace a farmer who had vanished from Sardarpur village about five days back, after plotting a scene of his murder to mislead police and his family members.

The accused farmer Radheshyam Kumawat (38), a resident of Sardarpur, was arrested from Lohadiguda village in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, about 1,000 kilometres away from his native village, on Tuesday.

Sardarpur villagers had organised protests and even blocked the National Highway No 3 after the police failed to trace his whereabouts.

During interrogation, Kumawat admitted that he wanted to start his life afresh with his lover from Lohadiguda village, and had to move out of his home.

Addressing media persons, Dhar superintendent of police Rajesh Hingankar said Kumawat plotted his own murder with the help of goat blood, which he had purchased from a nearby butcher shop.

Hingankar said Kumawat’s brother-in-law Govind filed a complaint at Sardarpur police station after he went missing.

After they received the complaint, the police launched a manhunt in the village and neigbouring areas.

The police also visited his farm, where they spotted blood and signs of struggle.

After assessing the clues found at the scene of ‘crime’, the police ascertained that he might have been murdered by unidentified persons, who might have dumped his body elsewhere.

Police searched for his body to confirm their doubts, but could not find it. Meanwhile, the farmer had reached Bastar.

During the course of investigation, the police came to know about Kumawat’s love affair.

Following this, the police, through his mobile phone, traced his location to Lohadiguda village. The police then went to Bastar and arrested him.

Hingankar said during interrogation, Kumawat confessed to have staged his murder.

The superintendent of police said he would be booked under sections 182 (false information) and 211 (false charge of offence made with intent to injure) of the Indian Penal Code.

The curious case of the missing farmer

Thirty-eight-year-old Radheshyam Kumawat goes missing from Sardarpur village five days ago

His brother-in-law Govind files a complaint at the Sardarpur police station

Police begin investigations, find goat blood and signs of struggle at his agricultural field, giving rise to doubts that he could have been possibly murdered by unidentified persons

Police fail to locate his body in his hometown

They find that he had a lover in Lohadiguda village and trace him to the village by tracking his mobile phone