Kanpur Businessman's Son Arrested in Murder Plot Over Property Fears
Kanpur police have arrested Subrat Manocha for the murder of his father Vineet Manocha, 60, allegedly over fears the businessman would transfer his property to another woman.
A 60-year-old pharmaceutical dealer was found murdered in his Kanpur flat earlier this month, and police have now arrested his son, who they say orchestrated the killing out of fear that his father would transfer his property to another woman.
Vineet Manocha's body was discovered with his throat slit in his flat in the upscale Indira Nagar area on September 5. He was alone at home at the time, while his son Subrat and daughter-in-law Shalu had gone to a party.
Investigators initially identified Shalu as the mastermind and arrested her along with Vishal Gautam, a former employee of the family, and his associate Rajkishore. The case took a turn after police found that the alleged killer had made six calls to Subrat from a newly purchased SIM card. Subrat was arrested on September 23.
During interrogation, Subrat told police he plotted the murder because his father had relationships with several women and he feared the businessman would start living with one of them and transfer all his property in her name. The initial plan was to make the death appear accidental or natural, but it was later changed, police said.
Subrat received about Rs 40,000 a month from his father for expenses, while paying roughly Rs 55,000 a month towards loan instalments, according to police. Deleted chats between Subrat and Vishal were recovered, and their locations coincided at several points before the murder. Police also alleged that the two attempted to divert suspicion towards Shalu.
Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the conspiracy came to light through analysis of call detail records, CCTV footage, digital and scientific evidence, recoveries and other circumstantial evidence. Vishal told investigators that Subrat had asked him to kill his father and promised him Rs 6 lakh, Lal said.
The top police officer said Vishal also claimed that Subrat had instructed him to name Shalu if he was caught. Vishal, a former employee of the family, had obtained a new SIM card a couple of days before the murder and made his first call from the number to Subrat, Lal said.
During questioning, 36-year-old Shalu allegedly broke down and told police she had been implicated to protect her husband. Subrat, who had remained under suspicion during the investigation, was questioned extensively before his arrest. Lal said Shalu has not yet been given a clean chit.