Bihar Man, Identified as Haldwani Riot Victim, Killed by Cop Over Affair With Wife

The Uttarakhand Police on Thursday revealed that a 25-year-old man, initially identified as a victim of the Haldwani riots on February 8, was killed by a police constable.

According to a report in TOI, the victim, Prakash Kumar from Sinha village in Barhara block of Bhojpur district in Bihar, was reportedly murdered by Constable Birendra Singh. This happened after Singh discovered Kumar’s involvement in an extramarital affair with his wife and learned that he was blackmailing her with an “intimate video” they had recorded together.

Nainital SSP Prahlad Meena told the publication that Singh, along with four accomplices, including his wife and brother-in-law, orchestrated Kumar’s murder.

Meena further noted that the revelation of the plot was facilitated by examining Kumar’s phone records, which were retrieved from his body during the probe.

“Kumar’s communication history unveiled that he had frequently spoken to a person from Sitarganj in Udham Singh Nagar district. We traced him and identified him as Singh’s brother-in-law, Suraj Bain. During questioning, Bain told police that he was friends with Kumar for over two years with the latter often visiting his home,” the Nainital SSP told TOI.

After discovering the compromising video involving his wife Priyanka and Kumar, a revelation she kept undisclosed until February 7, Singh instructed Priyanka to call him to Haldwani on February 8.

Meena added, “Upon his arrival, Singh confronted Kumar regarding the video, which led to Kumar’s murder as part of a premeditated scheme involving Singh’s wife Priyanka, brother-in-law Bain, and two others identified as Prem Singh and Naim Khan.”

Singh strategically disposed of Kumar’s body in the Banphoolpura area to make it appear as if it was a casualty of the ongoing violence in Haldwani. With this revelation, the death toll in the violence has now been revised to five.

“Priyanka is currently evading capture. All accused individuals face charges of murder under IPC Section 302,” Nainital SSP stated.

At least 100 people have been injured and 30 arrested in connection with the riots following the demolition of an “illegally built” madrassa in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani.