Bihar: Three held for kidnapping, killing jeweller

PATNA: City jeweller Mukesh Kumar Gupta, who was kidnapped from Saguna Mor under the Danapur police station area here on January 10, was killed while being taken to Motihari on the same day, police said on Thursday. Mukesh’s body had been disposed of by Motihari police as it remained unidentified even after 72 hours.
The matter came to light after Patna police arrested three criminals from the vicinity of St Karen’s High School on Gola Road here on Thursday.The arrested criminals were identified as Ramashish Kumar alias Ashish Yadav, Aman Kumar and Rajesh Kumar.
Mukesh’s elder brother Rakesh Kumar Gupta had lodged an FIR with Danapur police station on January 11 in connection with the incident. Mukesh had owned a jewellery shop on Kharanja Road at Danapur.
According to police, Mukesh had left for Saguna Mor from his shop after receiving a call on January 10. Later, a man reached the shop using Mukesh’s bike and left after taking jewellery worth of Rs 1.5 lakh from his elder brother Rakesh.
It was Mukesh who had called Rakesh, asking him to hand over the money to the man. After this, Mukesh’s cellphone remained switched off.
Patna SSP Upendra Kumar Sharma said Mukesh was taken to Motihari in a car by four criminals, including the three who were arrested on Thursday, and killed there.
“They had throttled Mukesh to death inside the car and dumped his body along a road the Chiraiyya police station area in Motihari. The body was recovered on the morning of January 11,” Sharma said, adding the fourth accused was evading arrest. “It was in the car of the fourth accused that Mukesh was killed,” the SSP added.
He said Mukesh’s body was disposed of in Motihari after 72 hours according to norms, but his family members identified it after seeing photographs. He said the prime accused, Ramashish, had kidnapped Mukesh with an intention to kill him.
“Ramashish had mortgaged jewellery worth around Rs 1.5 lakh to Mukesh. He wanted to take it back by paying money. However, Mukesh told Ramashish that the money he paid to him was not enough to reclaim entire jewellery,” the SSP said.
He added cellphone and sim card used to call Mukesh at Saguna Mor was seized from Ramashish possession. “Four more cellphones, three country-made pistols, including a semi-automatic one and 33 live cartridges were seized from the possession of the three arrested criminals,” the SSP said.