Friend put police on Kurar killer's trail

The police zeroed in on Uday Pathak, the main accused in the June 5 Kurar quadruple murders, after one of his friends revealed his hideout.

The police zeroed in on Uday Pathak, the main accused in the June 5 Kurar quadruple murders, after one of his friends revealed his hideout.

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Pathak, who was on the run following the murders, called up his friend for money. The friend was quickly picked up by the police and following questioning, spilled the beans on Pathak’s whereabouts.

On Thursday, joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy, said, “He (Pathak) was involved at every stage of the crime. He was the one who got the other accused together, arranged for the four victims to be kidnapped, took them to the hillock and mercilessly beat them up before slitting their throats,” Roy said, adding that Pathak did so in order to avenge his bruised ego. “He (Pathak) is a hardened criminal, extremely violent and without remorse.”

Roy said the savagery of the crime could be gauged from the fact that the accused had dragged the four accused, all blindfolded, stripped, gagged and tied, to the hillock. Their cloths were burnt in order to eliminate evidence. After their throats were slit, the accused waited for them to bleed to death and then smashed their heads to obliterate their identity. After the murder, Pathak even threatened the other accused with death if they spoke about the incident. “This falls under the rarest of rare crimes in the legal lexicon. We will press for no less than the death penalty for those involved,” Roy added.

For that, the police are collecting even the most minute evidence – forensic, physical as well as preparing strong eyewitnesses for a watertight case, Roy said adding, “we will engage a special public prosecutor and ask the court to refer the case to a fast track court for trial.” However, the police were still to recover the murder weapons, Roy admitted.

Pathak , who is originally from Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh, is a history-sheeter. He has 16 serious offences, including those of murder, extortion, attempt to murder, against him in Dindoshi and Kurar areas.

He has been externed on half-a-dozen occasions.

He made money by occasionally brokering property deals and undertaking some construction work.