Bihar: Tortured by wife, man fakes death

PATNA: An unemployed man faked own murder to escape his wife’s alleged torture at Kulari under Durgawati police station area in Kaimur district on December 30.
Police said the man, Pradeep Kumar Ram (37), was recovered from Jamania in neighbouring Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh and allowed to return home on Friday morning. Pradeep told the police during interrogation that he had purchased goat’s blood from a meat shop for Rs40 and poured it on his bed before fleeing to give the impression that he was murdered and his body was thrown somewhere.
Pradeep’s wife Kumari Pratibha (33) is a teacher in a Kaimur government school.
Durgawati police station SHO (incharge) Virendra Kumar on Friday told TOI over phone that an FIR had been lodged against Pradeep for plotting fake murder and made to sign bond paper for not repeating such act and appear before the police whenever required for investigation.
“On December 30, Pratibha lodged an FIR alleging that her husband’s body was thrown somewhere after his murder,” the SHO said. Quoting Pradeep, Kumar said Pratibha used to torture him on financial and other issues. The SHO said Pratibha was counselled not to torture her husband before police sent them home.
Kumar said the couple had two houses, including one under construction, at Kulari. “On Tuesday night, Pradeep went to sleep at his house under construction. Pratibha reached there next morning and found him missing and blood all over his bed and the floor,” he said, adding there was resentment amid villagers over the ‘murder’.
“We started searching probable locations like ponds, secluded and abandoned places to trace his body,” the SHO said.
Police found an empty mineral water bottle with bloodstains from an abandoned factory premises half a kilometre away from their house. “That raised suspicion. In addition, the blood on his bed and floor indicated that it was poured from some vessels, raising further suspicion,” he said.
Kumar said police got information on Wednesday night about a person similar to Pradeep spotted in Jamania. “A police team was rushed there and he was recovered and brought back. He revealed everything during his quizzing till Friday morning,” the SHO said.