Two days before his dismembered body was found stuffed in a plastic sack, 23-year-old Abhishek Kumar was reported missing by Santosh Kumar — the victim’s maternal uncle, who is also now the key accused in his murder.
It was on December 24 that Santosh filed a written complaint at Nathnagar police station in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district, reporting Abhishek missing since the previous evening.
“Abhishek left home around 7.35 pm on December 23 to go to the market, but did not return,” said Santosh in the application, adding that the family had spoken to Abhishek by phone around 8 am the next morning, when he said he was in Jamalpur and would return by noon. According to Santosh, Abhishek’s phone was subsequently switched off, and all attempts to contact him thereafter failed.
On Friday night, police recovered Abhishek’s body from the area. “The body was found stuffed inside a plastic sack filled with sand and soil. Both hands were tied with a rope, but the head and both legs were missing at the time of recovery,” said Bhagalpur City SP Shubhank Mishra.
Within a couple of days, the missing person report filed by Santosh had turned into a murder investigation, unravelling a gruesome and meticulously planned crime allegedly orchestrated by the complainant himself following the discovery of an alleged illicit affair and suspected blackmail. On Sunday, police arrested Santosh, with SP Mishra saying he was “found to be the main conspirator of the attack”.
Abhishek, originally from Maksapur village, had been living for the past four years at his maternal uncle’s house in Masakand Bararipur in Nathnagar, police said. As per the missing person complaint by his uncle — a weaver by profession — Abhishek used to assist him in running his cloth business.
After getting the missing person report, police said the Bhagalpur SSP constituted a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of the City SP and the SDPO (City-2), with technical support from the District Intelligence Unit.
Two young men, Radhe Kumar Mandal and Ritik Kumar alias Ritesh, both residents of Mirzapur village under Nathnagar police station, were arrested on Friday on the basis of technical evidence, mobile call records and local intelligence. They were said to be the victim’s friends and worked along with him in his uncle’s business.
“During interrogation, the accused revealed that Abhishek was shot in the thigh and [his body was] disposed of in a water body,” SP Mishra said.
Their statements led the police to a spot near the Raghopur–Shahpur culvert, and the sack containing the main portion of the body was found, but the legs and head were missing.
Police said the victim was allegedly lured by Radhe, Ritesh and another accused, Ayush Pratap, on the pretext of hanging out. Pratap was also later arrested. Investigators learnt that the crime unfolded over several hours across multiple locations.
According to a police source, the victim was allegedly shot in his thigh at Mirzapur garden inside an autorickshaw they were travelling in. They then kept him under watch for several hours before moving him to a nearby semi-constructed house on the morning of December 24.
“During this period, a phone call from Abhishek’s wife was answered under supervision, during which the victim was allegedly forced to tell his family that he was in Jamalpur with a friend and would return by noon, in order to avoid suspicion,” the source said.
When the family started looking for him, the three men allegedly murdered him, cut his body into pieces using hacksaw blades and dumped them in a bag, according to police. Subsequently, the accused started to make efforts to mislead the police.
The source claimed that during the investigation into the missing person report, the accused youths had actively participated in the search for Abhishek, accompanying his uncle, Santosh, and other family members. “It was only after sustained questioning [following the arrest of the youths] that Santosh’s involvement became evident. Till a day before his arrest, the maternal uncle was acting normal and was giving media interviews about his missing nephew,” the source said.
City SP Mishra said, “Santosh Kumar had an illicit relationship with a woman, which Abhishek had come to know about. There was blackmail involved, with Abhishek allegedly threatening to disclose the matter to Santosh’s wife.”
“Additionally, both were involved in cyber fraud activities, and there was an ongoing dispute over money related to the illegal operation,” the SP added.
According to a source, Santosh and Abhishek, both married men, were allegedly involved in extramarital affairs with a third woman, and “mutual revelations led to tension between the two men”.
According to the police, Santosh allegedly hired the youths to carry out the murder, promising them Rs 2 lakh. An initial amount of Rs 10,000 was allegedly paid in advance to procure a country-made firearm, blades, rope, plastic sheets and intoxicants.
Santosh remained in constant contact with the accused during the crime and after the disposal of the body, and later went ahead to file the missing complaint at Nathnagar police station after the murder in an alleged attempt to deflect suspicion, police said.
During the investigation, police recovered a country-made pistol, the victim’s bracelet and headphones, blood-stained clothes worn by the accused at the time of the crime, two CNG autorickshaws used to transport Abhishek and later dispose of the body, and three mobile phones.
“Bloodstains were also found inside one of the seized vehicles. The Forensic Science Laboratory team collected blood samples and other material evidence from the crime scene,” said SP Mishra, adding that further investigation is underway, and a detailed chargesheet would be filed after completion of the investigation.
Sources said Santosh had previously been arrested in a cyber fraud case by the Delhi Police around three years ago and spent several months in Tihar Jail.