Three arrested for youth's murder in Lucknow

Lucknow, Dec 31 (PTI) Police here on Wednesday claimed to have solved the murder of a 21-year-old youth with the arrest of three accused, including two butchers.

The youth, Almas, was killed over a dispute arising out of the one-sided feelings of the main accused for his niece, according to police.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Nipun Agarwal said the incident occurred in the Mohanlalganj police station area and the case was cracked within hours of the body being identified.

Agarwal said a joint team of Mohanlalganj police and the Surveillance Cell (South Zone) arrested the three accused -- Ramzan, Arman and Suraj, all residents of Mau village -- from the Ganesh Kheda area.

While Ramzan and Arman are butchers, Suraj is a photographer, police said.

Police have recovered a wooden stick and a motorcycle used in the commission of the crime and the mobile phone of Almas.

Almas' father Ravi Mohammad, a resident of Jail Road in Mau village, reported on December 30 that his son had gone missing. He told police that Almas left home around 7.30 pm on December 29, saying he was going to Khujoli, but did not return, said DCP Agarwal, flanked by Additional DCP Rallapalli Vasanth Kumar and Mohanlalganj ACP Vikas Pandey.

Based on the complaint, a missing person report was registered and search operations were launched.

Later the same day, police received information about a body found in a field near the Mau big canal. The deceased was identified as Almas, following which a case of murder was registered, Agarwal said.

During the investigation, police analysed footage from nearly 100 CCTV cameras installed along the Khujoli-Mau road and adjoining routes, and conducted extensive local enquiries. Based on the evidence gathered, the three accused were arrested on December 31, the officer said.

Agarwal said interrogation revealed that the accused were neighbours of the victim. The main accused, Ramzan, allegedly harboured one-sided feelings for Almas' niece and this had led to disputes and physical altercations between the two men in the past.

A few days before the incident, Almas, along with his niece and sisters, allegedly assaulted Ramzan. Nursing a grudge, Ramzan allegedly conspired with his associates to kill Almas, police said.

According to police, the three accused were sitting at a shop on the evening of December 29, when Arman called Almas there. The accused then took Almas to different locations before reaching a secluded spot along the Mau big canal embankment and assaulted him.

They repeatedly hit Almas on the head and face with the wooden stick, killing him on the spot. They dumped his body nearby, police said. PTI JKY KIS DIV DIV