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Lucknow cash van loot and murder: Assailant thought Rae Bareli was safe for him, but…

Cash van loot and murder case accused Vineet Tewari’s decision to go to his hometown Rae Bareli to evade arrest proved to the ‘death knell’ for his escape plan.

Published on: Aug 6, 2018, 14:32:44 IST
Hindustan Times, Lucknow | By , Lucknow
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Cash van loot and murder case accused Vineet Tewari’s decision to go to his hometown Rae Bareli to evade arrest proved to the ‘death knell’ for his escape plan.

The accused in police custody. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)
The accused in police custody. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)

Before the cops raided Tewari’s house at New Indrapuri, Bhola Khera, Krishna Nagar, on Saturday morning, he had fled from there. His brother-in-law Kavindra Pandey played a vital role in this escape plan.

SHOPPING SPREE AFTER LOOT & MURDER

The assailant went on a shopping spree along with his wife when he reached home after committing the murder and loot.

After committing the crime around 3.41 pm, he reached home in the next 40-50 minutes. Thereafter, he took his wife for shopping at the local market in Alambagh. The couple purchased clothes and shoes along with other goods.

After leaving his house, the assailant went to Manak Nagar, where his brother-in-law was staying. Pandey dropped Tewari to the Manak Nagar railway station in Alambagh on his motorcycle. After sometime, Tewari’s wife Soni also reached there along with her two minor daughters and the cash bag.

From there, the couple went to Telibagh and boarded a bus for Bachhrawan, Rae Bareli. At Bachhrawan, the couple changed the bus for Lalganj.

The couple then went to Vineet’s sister, Manju’s house in Bhola Ka Purwa village.

“After reaching his sister’s house, Tewari thought that he was safe,” said Kalanidhi Naithani, senior superintendent of police, Lucknow.

CONFINED TO HOUSE

Vineet Tewari confined himself to his house from July 31 (day after the incident), after sketches of his photographs appeared in media.

It was from newspapers that he also came to know about video clips of the incident circulating in social media. In these clips, the assailant’s motorcycle was clearly visible.

Thereafter, Tewari followed the news related with the incident.

“The assailant was following news reports related with the incident. He had a feeling that the police might reach his house,” said the SSP.

Thereafter, he decided to flee from Lucknow, he added.

However, cops got a clue about Tewari escaping to Rae Bareli when they carried out a raid at his house in New Indrapuri Colony on Saturday.

“It was from Raj Kumari (mother of the assailant), we came to know that Tewari had gone to Manak Nagar to meet his brother-in-law Kavindra Pandey. A police team rushed to Manak Nagar and apprehended him,” added the SSP.

From Pandey, cops came to know that Tiwari had escaped to Rae Bareli.

Without wasting anytime, senior cops in Lucknow alerted the Rae Bareli police.

Acting on the information, the Swat team of the Rae Bareli police carried out a raid at Bhola ka Purwa village and arrested the assailant from his sister Manju’s house late on Saturday night.

Tewari’s wife was arrested from a nearby house and 4,73,900 cash was recovered from her.

Meanwhile, a police team from Lucknow also rushed to Rae Bareli and brought the couple to Lucknow.

“We have also detained the assailant’s wife to know whether she was aware of the loot and murder executed by her husband,” said the SSP.

“The brother-in-law has been arrested on charges of helping Tewari flee,” added the SSP.

Now, cops will also verify whether Vineet Tewari had executed any other loot and murder in the state capital.

It may be pointed out that the assailant hails from Nakdilpur village under Amarpur thana in Rae Bareli.

“It was a commendable effort put in by 20 police teams that led to the arrest of the killer,” said OP Singh, DGP.

Tewari had killed one Suresh Kumar Vajpayee on March 9, 2013, in his native village. Since then, he was absconding. The Rae Bareli police had announced a reward of 2,500 on him.

‘CASH COLLECTION AGENCIES NOT FOLLOWING RBI GUIDELINES’

The Lucknow police have decided to strictly enforce guidelines issued by the RBI for cash collection agencies.

“The van carrying cash must have two chambers, the cash must be in double locks and only the cash custodian must operate the keys,” said Sujeet Pandey, IG, Lucknow range.

The vehicle must have four cameras, one each on all four sides to record everything, added Pandey.

“The cash collection agencies had not been following RBI guidelines. Now, we will enforce these guidelines,” said the IG.

  • Pawan Dixit
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Pawan Dixit

    Pawan Dixit, Assistant Editor, brings over 20 years of frontline reporting experience to the newsroom. A specialist on Uttar Pradesh politics and governance, he has reported from the ground across the state’s most consequential stories. He cut his teeth in eastern UP, spending 15 years covering the region. Based in Varanasi, he reported the 2012 UP Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that reshaped the state’s political map. Moving to Lucknow in 2016, he has since led coverage of the 2017 and 2022 UP Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. His reporting tracks the BJP’s strategy, opposition moves, and voter sentiment across all 75 districts. Pawan has been a constant presence in Ayodhya since 2016. He reported the entire arc of the Ram Mandir movement — from the legal fight to the Supreme Court verdict, through temple construction, to the inauguration. He continues to track every development at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. On the state beat, he covers the BJP, the Industrial Development Department, and handles key outstation political assignments. He also reports major cases from the district court, Lucknow bench of the High Court, and the State Information Commission. Along with this, he also reports on NGT's important decisions related to UP. Known for sharp sourcing and clear analysis, Pawan connects politics, policy, infrastructure and faith — the forces driving UP today. He has reported developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir movement since 2016. The Supreme Court's Ram Mandir verdict, temple construction and the its opening have been reported by him. He reports all developments in Ayodhya and Ram Mandir Trust. He covers state BJP, Industrial development department, outstation political assignments, reports special cases from district court, high court and state information commissionRead More