Dehradun horror: MBBS student, wife arrested for Kidnapping, murdering 70-year-old man in Extortion Bid

Dehradun: In a shocking turn of events, a fourth-year MBBS student and his wife have been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a 70-year-old retired man in a desperate attempt to extort money for medical college fees. Facing financial constraints and fearing an inability to complete his studies, the student, along with his wife, hatched a plan to blackmail the elderly man. However, when their scheme failed, they allegedly strangled him to death. 

To destroy the evidence, the accused couple took the help of their two relatives and allegedly dismembered the elderly man's body into several pieces, packed the remains in plastic bags and dumped it in a canal in Saharanpur’s Badgaon area. The chilling crime came to light after police found the dismembered remains of the man on February 20, two weeks after he went missing.

The accused, who had been on the run since the murder, had a bounty of Rs. 25,000 each on their heads. They were recently arrested by Dehradun Police in Amritsar after an extensive manhunt across multiple cities, including Mumbai, Jaipur, and Prayagraj.

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According to the police, the accused medical student, pursuing MBBS from a private institute in Dehradun. However, he was unable to bear the fees of the private institution and was in fear that he may not be able to complete the course on time. On top of that, he was burdened with hefty fees. As a result, the student was in need of money to complete his education.  

At that point, his wife, who was familiar with his issues, suggested to kidnap the elderly man. It is reported that his wife in the past had an affair with the elderly man. Therefore, she was aware of his financial condition. Thinking of it as a quick and easy way to extort money, the couple allegedly kidnapped the elderly man with the intent to record an obscene video of him and later blackmail him to extort money, however, when their plan failed, the couple strangled the man to death in fear of getting exposed.

The incident dates back to February 7 when the daughter of the man filed a missing complaint at the police station regarding his father's disappearance. She claimed that his father had left home on his bike and never returned.

Based on the complaint, the police launched an investigation and found out about the man's relationship with the wife of the medical student. During the investigation, it was discovered that the elderly man maintained an illicit relationship with the woman for the last 12 years, and therefore they shifted their focus to her. 

The case made a breakthrough when police reviewed CCTV footage showing the elderly man visiting the woman's house but not leaving. The suspicion grew stronger when the couple was missing as they went into hiding after the murder. 

The police had earlier arrested two men, identified as the woman's brother and brother-in-law, after evidence confirmed their involvement in disposing of the victim's remains in the canal. To mislead investigators, they also abandoned the deceased's bike in a secluded plot near Dehradun ISBT, removing its number plate, reports ETV Bharat. 

Explaining the incident in more detail, a police officer told TOI, "It all started a few years ago when *** was living separately in Dehradun, away from her first husband. Their three-year-old daughter was with her. ***was in a relationship with the elderly man when she met the medical student. The two got married at a temple in May last year."

"As the student needed money to complete his MBBS course, *** told him about her past affair with the elderly man, following which the couple hatched a plan to extort money from the teacher. The money, they decided, would fund his studies. Life would be easy after he became a doctor. As per the plan, *** invited the man to a rented accommodation and the student was ready with a camera to shoot an intimate video," the officer said.

"Along the way, though, the man got suspicious and insisted on cutting short the rendezvous. But the couple wouldn't let him. After a brief skirmish, the couple overpowered him and in the heat of the moment strangled the old man. Being a medical student, he knew that after a day or two, the blood would clot and there would be no bleeding if the body was chopped or cut. *** then called her brother from Saharanpur to help the student dismember the body and dispose of the parts," said SSP Singh.

After an extensive search operation, the police finally arrested the couple. During interrogation, she confessed to the police that when the elderly man arrived at the rented room on February 2, he realised their plan and began to shout. To prevent him from exposing them, the couple tied him up and, in a panic, strangled him to death.

Currently, the couple is in jail after they were produced before the court on Friday.

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