Haridwar: Police and the Central Investigation Unit (CIU) have arrested a husband and wife in connection with the murder of Gopal Kumar, 50, whose body was found near Sarvanand Ghat and the Dudhiyaband settlement in Haridwar. Police allege that Gopal had been pressuring the woman to leave her husband and children and had threatened to circulate an obscene video and kill her when she refused.
According to police, the woman became distressed over the alleged threats and told her husband about the matter. Police said the husband subsequently conspired with his wife, her brother and another man from their village to kill Gopal. The arrested couple were sent to jail, while teams are searching for the other accused.
Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar disclosed the case during a press conference at the police office auditorium on Monday. He said an unidentified man’s body was found in a forested area near Dudhiyaband in Kotwali Nagar on the morning of September 17. A bus ticket for Bijnor was found near the body, but there were no identity documents.
Police circulated the man’s photograph and other information to nearby police stations and districts while attempting to establish his identity. On September 20, relatives who reached Haridwar identified the deceased as Gopal Kumar, a resident of Nai Basti near Excise Outpost in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. His son Ashu Kumar subsequently filed a murder complaint.
Police and CIU teams were formed to investigate the case. Bhullar said CCTV footage and other evidence helped investigators trace the suspects. The husband and wife were arrested from Motichur railway station, where police said they were questioned about the murder. According to police, both admitted their involvement and disclosed the role of the woman’s brother and another village resident.
Police detail alleged relationship and threats
According to the SSP, the woman’s husband had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Meerut earlier this year after fluid reportedly accumulated in his lungs. During that period, the woman allegedly came into contact with Gopal, who subsequently obtained her mobile number and began communicating with her.
Police said the two later developed a relationship and that Gopal also provided the woman with financial assistance. The police allege that Gopal later began pressuring her to leave her husband and children and live with him. The woman reportedly refused because of her attachment to her children.
Police further said that during Raksha Bandhan, the woman travelled to Bijnor to meet Gopal, where her husband allegedly caught the two together. According to the police account, Gopal also assaulted the woman’s husband during the ensuing dispute.
Police allege murder was planned in Haridwar
The SSP said Gopal allegedly continued calling the woman and pressuring her to leave with him. Police allege that he also threatened to make an obscene video public and threatened her with serious consequences if she approached the police.
After learning about the alleged threats, the woman told her husband, following which the couple allegedly planned the murder with her brother and another man from their village. Police said the village resident was allegedly promised Rs 50,000 for participating in the killing.
As part of the alleged plan, the woman called Gopal to Haridwar on September 16 to meet him. Police said she took him near the Ganga ghat close to Dudhiyaband at night, where he drank alcohol and had food.
According to police, Gopal fell asleep at the ghat after eating and drinking. The woman’s husband and his associates, who were allegedly waiting nearby, then attacked him with a chopper and knife, killing him. Police said the accused took Gopal’s mobile phone and wallet and threw them into the Ganga before fleeing.
The iron chopper allegedly used in the murder has been recovered, police said. Further investigation is underway, while teams are searching for the remaining accused.
