A police constable in India has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife's lover and staging the scene to make it appear as if the victim was killed in the recent Haldwani riots, police said Thursday.
Constable Birendra Singh is accused of killing Prakash Kumar, 25, after discovering Kumar's extramarital affair with Singh's wife, Priyanka. Singh allegedly used a video they had shot together to blackmail Priyanka, prompting her to lure Kumar to Haldwani on February 8th, TOI reported.
The unraveling investigation, which involved scrutinizing Kumar's records from the mobile phone recovered from his body, exposed the plot. Consequently, the death toll in the violence has now been lowered to five.
According to Nainital SSP Prahlad Meena, Kumar's murder was meticulously planned by Singh with the help of four accomplices, including Priyanka and her brother-in-law, Suraj Bain. The investigation began to unravel after examining Kumar's phone records, which led them to Bain.
Priyanka divulged the existence of the video to her husband on Feb 7," Meena explained. "In response, Singh orchestrated Kumar's presence in Haldwani on Feb 8, where he confronted and subsequently murdered him." The scheme involved Singh's wife Priyanka, brother-in-law Bain, and two others, Prem Singh and Naim Khan. Singh then disposed of Kumar's body in the Banphoolpura area, staging the scene to resemble a riot-related death.
As the investigation progresses, Priyanka remains at large. All accused individuals face charges of murder under IPC Section 302.