Police in Baghpat district say they have arrested a woman and a motorcycle mechanic in connection with the killing of farmer Pramod, 44, whose body was found in a sugarcane field near a tubewell in Kotana village in the Baraut area, India Today reported.
Source: India Today via News89
The arrested accused are Pramod's wife Urmila and Sikandar alias Kala, a motorcycle mechanic who, according to police, had rented a repair shop at the outer part of Pramod's house for about three years. Police allege the two were in a relationship and conspired to remove Pramod after he came to know of it and objected, Hindi daily reports from Baghpat said.
Source: Swarnim Pradesh
According to the police account, on the night Pramod had gone to watch a Ramlila performance, Sikandar allegedly took him to the tubewell on the pretext of drinking liquor, mixed intoxicating pills into his liquor, and, when he became heavily intoxicated, allegedly struck him repeatedly on the head with the liquor bottle. Police say the body was then dragged into a nearby sugarcane field. These are police allegations based on their investigation and questioning, and have not been proved in court.
Investigators say Urmila allegedly stayed in contact with Sikandar over WhatsApp during the incident and kept asking for updates, and that the pair's chat records and call details gave the probe its decisive direction. Police say screenshots of some exchanges were also recovered.
The investigation did not begin with the wife. Pramod's brother Vinod had initially lodged an FIR naming four villagers — Pankaj, Rahul, Ankit and Mukesh — saying Pramod had been threatened months earlier after he intervened in a dispute among children, the Hindi reports said. Police say the direction of the probe changed after the call details and chats between Urmila and Sikandar were examined, following which both were questioned and arrested.
India Today reported that, according to police, the pair had allegedly planned to move to Dehradun and start a new life after the killing. Police say further investigation is continuing. The allegations against both accused remain subject to judicial proceedings.
What is solid
- Farmer Pramod, 44, of Kotana village in Baghpat's Baraut area was found dead in a sugarcane field near a tubewell, and police have arrested his wife Urmila and motorcycle mechanic Sikandar alias Kala in the case, India Today and Hindi reports from Baghpat both reported.
- An FIR was first lodged by Pramod's brother Vinod naming four villagers; police say call details and WhatsApp exchanges later redirected the investigation.
What is only claimed
- The alleged conspiracy — pills mixed in liquor, bottle strikes at the tubewell, WhatsApp updates during the killing and a plan to move to Dehradun — is the police version reported by India Today and Hindi outlets; it is an allegation, not a court finding, and the accused have not been convicted.