- A half-burnt body was found in Agra's Saiyan area on April 1 night
- The victim was identified as Lokendra through a tattoo on his forearm
- Lokendra’s wife and her lover Mahesh Prajapati were arrested for the murder
A missing persons complaint, a half-burnt body, QR codes on liquor bottles, and a chilling conspiracy: police in Uttar Pradesh's Agra have unravelled a grisly murder mystery in which a woman allegedly teamed up with her lover to eliminate her husband.
Panic spread in Agra's Saiyan area when a half-burnt body was found on the night of April 1. Identifying the body was a challenge because the face was burnt beyond recognition, but the tattoo on the forearm had survived. It was Lokendra's name. The next day, Lokendra's brother filed a missing persons complaint with the police. The complaint stated that Lokendra did not return home at night and was last seen with Mahesh Prajapati.
Police formed five teams to crack the shocking murder case. CCTV footage from the area was scanned, and technical evidence was used to forward the investigation. Police had recovered liquor bottles and some pieces of paper near the crime scene. These proved key as police pieced together the chain of events leading up to Lokendra's murder.
With sufficient evidence against them, police took Lokendra's wife, Mahesh Prajapati, and his friend, Dharamveer, into custody. Their questioning revealed the dark secret that led to Lokendra's murder. Mahesh told the cops that he had been in a relationship with Lokendra's wife for a long time. Recently, Lokendra came to know about their affair and confronted his wife. The lovers then plotted Lokendra's murder.
Mahesh told the police about the chain of events on April 1, when Lokendra went missing. When he left home, his wife called Mahesh and informed him. Mahesh met Lokendra on the way and invited him for a drink. The two knew each other, so he agreed. Dharamveer joined them too. They picked up liquor and some food and started drinking in a field. Soon after, Mahesh and Dharamveer allegedly choked Lokendra, and he became unconscious. Then they poured petrol over his body, covered it with bales of wheat and set it on fire, Mahesh has told police.
Aditya Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police for West Agra, said five teams worked to crack the case. He said police found pieces of paper at the crime scene, and shopkeepers in the area said a fruit seller uses such pieces of paper to serve his customers. QR codes on liquor bottles proved to be another piece of evidence. Based on them, CCTV cameras were scanned, and the accused were tracked. "I wholeheartedly congratulate the teams for their swift response," the officer said. The accused have been arrested and presented in court.
Inputs by Laxmi Kant Sharma
