A man and his two sons have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district in connection with the death of his mother and brother, nearly a month after their bodies were found underneath an overturned e-rickshaw, with the police claiming that the alleged conspiracy stemmed from a land dispute.According to officials, the main accused smothered his mother and brother with a pillow before placing their bodies in an e-rickshaw and overturning it beside a highway to make the double murder look like a road accident.He has been identified as Kishanpal, who was arrested alongside his sons Amit and Sanjeev. The alleged murders are said to have taken place on the night of September 10, while the two bodies were discovered the following day, on September 11.The duo were identified as Kishanpal's younger brother, Rakesh, and their mother, Nakshi.
Initially, the police believed the deaths to have resulted from a road accident and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination. However, Rakesh's wife, Vimla Devi, later approached the police and lodged a complaint, expressing suspicion that the deaths were actually the result of a murder.Acting on her complaint, the police launched a detailed investigation, questioning family members and villagers and examining other leads.
The investigation eventually pointed towards Kishanpal. During questioning, the police allegedly uncovered a conspiracy which he plotted and executed with assistance from Amit and Sanjeev.According to the police, the motive behind the killings was an 8.5-bigha landholding that Kishanpal wanted to take over.
Their mother, Nakshi, used to own 30 bighas of agricultural land, which was divided between Kishanpal and Rakesh.While Rakesh was still a minor, Kishanpal had allegedly sold 13 bighas of land. The elder brother allegedly wanted to usurp the remaining land belonging to his younger brother as well.After Rakesh married Vimla, who is from Aligarh, he decided to sell his share of the ancestral land and move to the city with her.He also discussed the proposal with his mother, who reportedly agreed with his decision.
With his mother's consent, he entered into a deal to sell one bigha of land to a fellow villager for Rs 6 lakh.He also accepted an advance payment of Rs 2 lakh. However, Kishanpal allegedly intervened through relatives and pressured Rakesh into returning the advance, effectively derailing the deal.The police said Kishanpal subsequently plotted to eliminate Rakesh and their mother, fearing that Nakshi's knowledge of the dispute could lead to his arrest.On the night of September 10, he allegedly smothered Rakesh and Nakshi with a pillow.After the murders, Kishanpal allegedly enlisted the help of his sons to transport the bodies in an e-rickshaw.They took the vehicle to the highway, placed it beside the road and overturned it over the bodies to create the impression that the two had died in an accident, police said.Sambhal Superintendent of Police Vikas Chandra Tripathi said the initial investigation had not led to a murder case as the family members had not sought police action following the deaths.It was only after Vimla approached the police and raised suspicions that investigators began examining the possibility of foul play.- Ends(Based on inputs from Abhinav Mathur)