Non-local among 4 arrested for killing Punjabi whose body was found in Bandipora
Srinagar, March 24 : Police on Thursday said that it have solved the murder mystery of a man whose body was recovered from River Jhelum on 13th of this month.
“On 13-03-2016 Police Station Sumbal recovered an unidentified male body from river Jhelum at Baniyari, Sumbal and the circumstantial evidence pointed that it was a murder. Accordingly a case FIR number 43/2016 under section 302 RPC was registered in Police Station Sumbal and the body was kept in mortuary for identification”, a police spokesman in a statement issued to GNS said.
A special investigation team (SIT) headed by SDPO Sumbal Shri Rashid Akbar assisted by SHO Sumbal Shri Mehboob Hussain Banday was constituted under the overall supervision of SSP Bandipora Shri Mumtaz Ahmad and investigation was taken up, he said.
“During the course of investigation a mobile phone bill was recovered from the deceased. The details of the bill were verified from concern retailer which was found in the name of Bitu. Accordingly SIT brought several persons who were close to the victim for questioning and team got some important leads. On the basis of those leads four persons were detained”, he said.
During the investigation it further surfaced that the slain man was carpenter by profession who was putting up in a rented accommodation at Fateh Kadal, Srinagar along with his associate Herjeet Singh son of Mukhtar Singh resident of Amritsar, Punjab in the house of Shafat Ahmad Ganaie.
Herjeet Singh was having illegal affairs with a girl in the neighbourhood. On 03-02-2016 the said girl told Harjeet that his roommate Buta Ram @ Bitu was trying to flirt with her. Upon this connotation the Harjheet Singh planned to kill his roommate Bitu. He hatched a criminal conspiracy with the girl and her two brothers Umar Bashir Mir and Bilal Ahmad Mir for eliminating Buta Ram @ Bitu, he said.
“During the intervening night of 03/04-02-2016 Harjeet Singh hit on the head of the victim by hammer and his associates Umar Bashir Mir, Bilal Ahmad Mir and their sister helped him in executing the plan of murder and destroying circumstantial evidence”, the spokesman said.
At about 4:00 am accused Harjeet Singh and Umar Bashir Mir wrapped the body of Bitu in a canvas sheet, thereafter took the body on a motorcycle and threw it into the river Jhelum from Nowakadal Bridge Srinagar at 5: 00 am, he said.
All the accused have been arrested and are on police remand, he said.
The identification of the deceased has been ascertained as Buta Ram @ Bitu son of Milkhi Ram resident of Dharchak Tehsil and District Gurdaspur, he said.
The matter was taken with the Punjab Police and the body of deceased has been handed over to his legal heirs for last rites, he said. (GNS)