Merchant navy officer killed by wife, her lover in UP; dismembered body sealed in cement-filled drum
Meerut (UP)(PTI): A merchant navy officer was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife and her lover, his body dismembered and sealed inside a drum with cement, police said.
His remains have been recovered and the two accused arrested. The incident took place in the Indira Nagar area here, police said on Tuesday.
The victim, Saurabh Rajput (29) from Brahmpuri's Indra Nagar Phase 2, went missing on March 4 and an investigation was launched after receiving information about the matter, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ayush Vikram Singh said.
On the basis of suspicion, police detained Rajput's wife Muskan (27) and her lover Sahil (25), he said.
During interrogation, the two confessed to having stabbed Rajput to death on March 4. The two then chopped up his body, put the remains inside a drum and sealed it with cement. They have been arrested, he added.
The remains have been sent for post-mortem and a case has been registered based on a complaint lodged by Rajput's family, police said.
According to Rajput's family, Muskan attempted to mislead them by sending messages from his phone.
After committing the crime, Muskan and Sahil went on a vacation to a hill station, the ASP said.
Police said Rajput and Muskan, from Gauripura, had a love marriage in 2016.
Their families were unhappy with their relationship and the couple lived separately in a rented house in Indira Nagar Phase 1 with their three-year-old daughter, police said
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
