A chilling murder case has emerged from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district, where the body of a former village head, missing for four days, was discovered stuffed inside a sack near Sumerpur on Sunday. Police say the killing was allegedly orchestrated over a strained extramarital relationship, with a woman and two accomplices accused in the case.
The deceased, Gulhasan alias Munna (50), a former gram pradhan from Misirpur Mustarka village under Mandhata police station limits, had left home on his motorcycle on March 18, reportedly heading to a nearby market. When he did not return for two days, his family filed a missing person complaint, fearing foul play.
Key breakthrough through call records
Investigators traced Gulhasan’s last contacts using call detail records, which led them to a woman suspected to have been in a relationship with him. Meanwhile, his motorcycle, along with the key and helmet, was recovered from Mahroda near Mauaima Kalyanpur on the third day of his disappearance, deepening suspicions.
During interrogation, the woman confessed that she had been in a relationship with Gulhasan for nearly two years after her husband remained away most of the time because of work. She told police she wanted to end the affair, but Gulhasan was unwilling to do so. Frustrated, she reportedly confided in her brother, after which a plan to eliminate him was devised.
Murder plot executed at night
According to police, the woman lured Gulhasan to her parental home under a pretext. That night, while he was asleep in her room, her brother Atul Gautam, along with an associate, Arun Gautam, allegedly attacked him with an iron rod, killing him on the spot. The body was then disposed of in a nearby canal.
Police had been searching the canal since Saturday. Despite low water levels, the body had drifted nearly three kilometres before being recovered near Sumerpur village on Sunday morning. It has been sent for post-mortem examination.
Accused in custody, manhunt ongoing
The woman is currently in police custody, while efforts are underway to apprehend the two other accused. Officials described the case as a “premeditated murder driven by personal motives.”
A large and complex family
Gulhasan’s personal life has also drawn attention. He married at the age of 22 and had nine children, six sons and three daughters, from his first marriage. About 13 years later, he married again and had nine more children, bringing the total to 18. Police sources also indicated that he may have been in contact with several other women, based on mobile records.
Family members said that despite having a large family, only one of his daughters had been married so far. He had reportedly built separate houses for both wives.
Following the post-mortem, Gulhasan’s body was brought back to his village, where he was laid to rest in the local graveyard on Sunday evening.
The investigation remains ongoing, with police focusing on arresting the remaining suspects and establishing the full sequence of events leading to the murder.
