UP Woman, Lover Plan Dinner Outing For Son, Kill Him For Insurance Money

A woman and her partner allegedly killed her 23-year-old son with a hammer and tried to pass it off as a road accident in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur Dehat, for opposing their relationship and in a bid to claim his insurance money, police said. 

The partner's brother also aided the couple in carrying out the crime inside a car on October 26. The two brothers have been arrested so far.

According to the police, the incident came to light after the victim, Pradeep Sharma's body was found on the Kanpur-Etawah Highway. The matter was initially seen as an accident till the police conducted a detailed probe into it. 

Derapur Circle Officer said after Pradeep's father's death, his mother allegedly began a relationship with key accused Mayank alias Ishu Katiyar. Pradeep, however, objected to their relationship and gradually began living separately, away from his mother. He also got himself a job in Andhra Pradesh.

Angered by this, Pradeep's mother, Mayank and his brother Rishi Katiyar hatched a plan to kill him, the police said. Mayank and Rishi purposely purchased several insurance policies worth in Pradeep's name. 

The police said when Pradeep returned home for his Diwali holidays, Mayank and Rishi took Pradeep in their WagonR on the pretext of taking him out for dinner on October 26. In the car, they struck Pradeep's head with a hammer multiple times, killing him on the spot.

In a bid to make it appear like a road accident, the accused dumped the police's body on the Kanpur-Etawah highway near  Balharamau village, under Derapur police station area

After Pradeep's body was recovered by the police and his family was traced, his uncle and grandfather accused Rishi and Mayank of murdering him. Pradeep's mother, however, insisted he died in a road accident.

"A detailed probe into the incident revealed that Pradeep was murdered. The hammer used in the crime, an illegal firearm and the vehicle have been recovered and seized. Both Mayank and Rishi were arrested after an encounter," the Circle Officer said.

"The encounter broke out after Rishi opened fire on the police team. The police retaliated and he was shot at. He is in the hospital and is recovering,"  he added. 

(With inputs from Arun Agarwal)