MP: Man gets father murdered by hiring killer on Facebook
In a shocking incident, a man got his 59-year-old father murdered for money in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district by hiring an assassin on Facebook. The deceased, Mahesh Gupta, was shot dead while sleeping in a room at his residence in Shivpuri's Pichhore town. The incident took place on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, said Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Singh Chandel.
Three people have been arrested in the case
Three people have been arrested in connection with the case: Ajit Singh, the suspected killer from Bihar; Gupta's son Ankit (32), and the latter's friend Nitin Lodhi. According to reports, the police suspected Gupta's son of being involved in the crime after learning he was sleeping on the ground floor of his house when his father was shot dead on the third floor.
Why did the son kill his father?
Ankit's interrogation and investigation revealed that he was furious with his father because the latter declined to give him money owing to Ankit's alcohol addiction, gambling, and involvement in other illegal and criminal activities. After searching online, he contacted a Bihar gang called the "Ajit King" group on Facebook and promised to pay them Rs. 1 lakh to kidnap and kill his father.
Ankit paid Rs. 10,000 to the killer on July 12
Ankit reportedly made a transfer of Rs. 10,000 on July 12 into the account of Singh, who serves as the Facebook group's administrator. Ankit and Lodhi then met Singh at the Jhansi Railway Station and arranged for his stay in Shivpuri's Labheda Tiraha. Meanwhile, Lodhi allegedly provided a country-made pistol and cartridges to the killer that were used in the crime.
Other details regarding the crime
On the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, Ankit reportedly told his wife and daughter to sleep in another bedroom on the ground floor and allowed Singh to enter at 2:00 am. When Ankit's wife woke up after hearing a gunshot sound, he told her it was just a lightning strike. After killing Gupta, Singh reportedly left and Ankit closed the door from inside.
Gupta recently received Rs. 1 crore compensation
Ankit reportedly informed the neighbors and police the next morning that some unidentified men murdered his father, an official stated. According to the official, Gupta recently received Rs. 1 crore in compensation after his son, Anil Gupta, who was serving in the Army, allegedly died by suicide. The police said that Gupta's wife died nearly 20 years ago, and he lived with his son.
All accused booked and arrested, further investigation underway
Gupta also used to receive a pension, which Ankit was eyeing, as per the police. Singh was allegedly arrested at the Gorakhpur Railway Station in Uttar Pradesh, whereas Ankit and Lodhi were captured from the Pichhore town. According to authorities, they have been charged under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, and a further investigation into the matter is underway.