SP says Buxar woman’s murder was honour killing, her father, mother & brother arrested

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Buxar : Police claimed to have cracked the mystery behind the murder of a woman Indu Devi alias Rani of Bhuyi village under Dinara police station area in Rohtas district and arrested her father Mahendra Prasad Gupta, mother Sharmila Devi, and brother Mukesh Kumar from their house at Bhuyi village and sent them to jail on the December 10, 2019. Three more persons involved in the murder are absconding and police are conducting raids to arrest them. Police also seized a motorcycle, a mobile phone, nine live cartridges, and a regular rifle.

Buxar SP Upendra Nath Verma said that on December 2, 2019, evening, some persons had shot dead a woman and later burnt the body after sprinkling petrol on it. Police had recovered the half burnt body from Kukudha village under Itadhi police station in Buxar district on December 3, 2019. The incident created ripples in the administrative circle and also echoed across India. The SP said that the woman was not raped as reported earlier but it was an honour killing and her father himself had shot her dead and burnt her to escape social stigma.

The SP said that Indu Devi, daughter of Mahendra Prasad Gupta, a retired army man of Bhuyi village under Dinara police station in Rohtas district, was married to Surajbhan Prasad Gupta of Dumraon on March 5, 2018. She had  relation with a youth of Bhuyi village and so returned to her parents’ house on March 8, 2018, but the youth refused to accept her that caused a great mental agony to her and she became upset. She frequently disappeared from her house. Mahendra Prasad Gupta considered it a stigma for the family. He hatched a plan to eliminate his daughter and on December 2, 2019, took her to Buxar on motorcycle saying that he was taking her to Bodh Gaya with the help of his sister’s son to make her a nun. He brought her over to Kukudha village where he shot her dead and later set her afire.

The SP said that after recovery of half burnt body of Indu Devi, a team of Forensic Science Laboratory queried a number of shopkeepers of the area and post-mortem of the body was performed twice and every time rape was denied. Meanwhile, a police team got some clue and went to Bhuyi village and showed the anklets and toe ring (bichhia) to her mother Sharmila Devi and younger sister Preeti who identified them. Police at once arrested  Sharmila Devi and brother Mukesh Kumar and interrogated them who divulged the whole conspiracy before the police. Police also arrested Mahendra Prasad Gupta from Dumraon. Police brought them over to Buxar and later sent them to jail. Mahendra Prasad Gupta is at present employed in the Allahabad Bank, Itadhi branch, as night guard.

The SP stated that the DNA of the deceased would be tallied with that of her family members so that the matter could be clearly defined during legal process.