Jharkhand actress' murder: Cops probing financial motive

Kolkata, Dec 29 The investigating officers probing the murder of Jharkhand-based actress and YouTuber Riya Kumari are probing a possible financial motive behind the murder.

Riya was shot dead on Wednesday during an alleged highway robbery bid in West Bengal's Howrah district. Her husband Prakash Kumar, a film producer, was arrested by the police on Thursday after Riya's family members filed a complaint against Kumar and his brothers.

The police have come to know that Kumar has an accumulated loan from the market to the tune of around Rs 30 lakh. On the other hand, the deceased actress had a joint life insurance policy along with her three-year-old daughter, wherein the nominee is Kumar. The cops are trying to join the dots to find out if there was a financial angle behind Riya's murder.

The police are also looking into some contradictory statements made by Kumar.

"As per Kumar, three unknown miscreants shot Riya when they both tried to resist them from snatching their money and other valuables. But the police found the shell of the cartridge from inside the car they were travelling in from Ranchi to Kolkata. Had the miscreants opened fire when the couple tried to resist them, both of them should have been outside their vehicle. So why was the shell found from inside the car," asked a state police official, who did not wish to be named.

Secondly, according to the official, had there been a resistance, the natural instinct of the miscreants would have been to shoot Kumar first rather than his wife.

As per Kumar's statement, the murder took place at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday when they were travelling from Ranchi to Kolkata. He had reportedly stopped his car near the Mahishrekha bridge at Bagnan in Howrah district to answer nature's call.

As per Kumar's version, three miscreants attacked them after he stopped the car with the intention to rob them. But when they resisted, one of them shot Riya from point-blank range, causing her death.

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