Lucknow : Police in Rae Bareli district have arrested three people in connection with the murder of a village head’s son, after a purported video surfaced in which the main accused claims he was earlier told by police to “kill him” over an alleged harassment complaint involving his wife.
Surendra allegedly killed Ramakant (35), son of village head Ganesh Prasad, with the help of his wife Soni and brother Virendra after a confrontation in Khairhani village, around 27 km from Rae Bareli district headquarters, according to police.
Police have rejected the allegation that any personnel encouraged violence, while senior officers said the claims would be independently verified. Officials said the authenticity and circumstances of the recording are under examination. Bachhrawan station house officer Shyam Krishna Pal said Surendra had approached the police in June regarding the matter and that the dispute between the two sides was subsequently resolved. He denied that police told Surendra to kill Ramakant. Superintendent of police Ravi Kumar said the allegations made in the video would be verified through an inquiry by CO Maharajganj Pradeep Kumar, and action would follow based on the findings. The confrontation escalated, police said, and Ramakant was assaulted and later died of his injuries.
In the clip, which is over a minute long, he is heard saying, “Call the lawyer, I have killed him. He then claims he had visited the police station three times to complain about alleged harassment of his wife and that police personnel advised him to kill the victim. He also asks his wife, Soni, to bring copies of the complaints from their house.
The video, said to be recorded at the murder spot and circulating on Sunday evening, a day after the killing, shows Surendra, son of Sri Ram, allegedly speaking after the attack. All three accused were arrested on Sunday by Bachhrawan police. Police said Ramakant, a resident of Chhatiya village under Harchandpur police station, went to Khairhani on Saturday morning and got into an argument with Soni and Surendra over an earlier relationship between Ramakant and Soni.