Sultanpur: Man beaten to death over ‘affair’, 4 held

Tension prevailed at Hinduvaad village in Sultanpur district on Monday after a 42-year-old migrant labourer was beaten to death allegedly by four men over an alleged extramarital relationship, police said. Four persons have been arrested in connection with the lynching, they added.

The victim, Younus of Basti district, used to work as a wielder in Mumbai and had returned home around a week ago.

Police identified the arrested persons as Shiv Shankar Yadav (35), Kripa Shankar (28), their nephew Dharmendra (25) and neighbour Vinay Yadav (21). Kripa Shankar is a private school teacher, while others are farmers, police said.

The police are also looking into the role of Shiv Shankar’s elder brother, Rama Shankar Yadav (43), who works as a taxi driver in Mumbai.

Police said that Rama Shankar and Younus were friends and used to visit each other’s residences whenever they came to Sultanpur.

Police added that Younus allegedly developed a close friendship with Rama Shankar’s wife. “There was talk in the village about this. This led to a fallout between Rama Shankar and Younus,” said a police officer.

On Sunday morning, when Younus entered the Yadav residence, the four accused hit him with iron rods and sticks, leading to his death, said Station Officer (Karaundi Kalan Police Station) Amrendra Bahadur Singh.
Police have been deployed at Hinduvaad village to avoid any law and order problem, an officer said.

On Sunday morning, the police were informed that some residents beat up a “thief”. A police team went to the village and took the injured person to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

On the basis of belongings recovered from the victim’s person, the police identified him as Younus and informed his family members. His wife filed a complaint against five persons, including the four arrested and Rama Shankar Yadav, accusing them of murder.

During preliminary investigation, the police came to know Younus, Rama Shankar and Shiv Shankar knew each other well. In the past, Younus had visited their residence to meet his family members.

The police detained Shiv Shankar and Kripa Shankar for questioning. During interrogation, they confessed to the crime and said that they killed Younus because he was causing a “bad name” to the family.

Shiv Shankar told the police that on Saturday night, Younus came to Sultanpur by bus and reached the village.

“In the early hours of Sunday, Younus entered the house through a window. Shiv Shankar woke up and raised an alarm. He, along with the other accused, caught Younus hiding in a room and thrashed him. Later, their neighbour Vinay Yadav also reached the spot. They later informed the police,” said an officer.

The police did not rule out the possibility that the incident was planned. “We suspect Rama Shankar alerted his brothers when Younus left Mumbai around a week ago for home,” said the police officer.