Uttar Pradesh: Hindu man kills friend Aftab Alam for tricking him into eating cow meat in Varanasi, police arrest Virendra Yadav

Varanasi Police arrested Virendra Yadav for allegedly killing his friend Aftab Alam after accusing him of tricking him into eating cow meat
Hindu man murdered Aftab Alam after he tricked him into eating cow meat (Image: Indian Express)

A Hindu man, identified as Virendra Yadav, has been arrested by Varanasi police for killing his friend Aftab Alam for tricking Yadav into eating cow meat. Twenty four year old Virendra strangled twenty eight year old Aftab Alam and dumped his body in a field in the Sindhaura area earlier this month. While Virendra is a resident of Varanasi, Aftab hailed from Chhapra district in Bihar.

According to SHO Gyanendra Tripathi of Sindhaura police station, Virendra said during questioning that Aftab had deceived him into consuming cow meat in September last year. He further said that Aftab later disclosed the incident to others, resulting in Virendra being subjected to mockery and humiliation among acquaintances. Police said he claimed this led him to plan the murder.

Body recovered, identity confirmed through documents

According to media reports, Aftab’s body was recovered from a field near a tubewell in the Sindhaura area on 8 January. An identity card found in a bag near the body helped establish the identity. The body was sent for post mortem and the family was informed.

During the investigation, police examined call detail records and bank transactions of the deceased. They found that Aftab was in regular contact with Virendra. They also found that Rs 40,000 was transferred from Aftab’s bank account to Virendra’s account on the day the body was recovered.

Victim’s family claimed murder over money

Aftab’s family has denied the accusations that Aftab tricked Virendra into eating cow meat. His father, Kalamuddin, claimed that his son was killed over financial reasons and not over any religious issue.

He claimed that important documents belonging to Aftab were missing and accused Virendra of withdrawing money from both of his son’s bank accounts. The family also pointed out that Aftab lived with roommates from different communities and no such complaint was ever made earlier.

Sequence of events leading to murder

According to the police, Virendra and Aftab had previously worked together as helpers in a Bengaluru based firm. While Aftab was later transferred to Chennai, Virendra was posted in Gujarat. Aftab informed Virendra that he would be travelling from Bihar on 7 January to rejoin duty. Virendra allegedly asked him to come to Varanasi instead and took leave from work to execute the plan.

The two met at Varanasi railway station, after which Virendra and an associate took Aftab on a motorcycle to a secluded area on the pretext of taking him home. Police said Aftab was strangled with a rope, and his body was dumped in a field.

Arrest and recoveries

Police traced Virendra after his phone remained switched off for several days and arrested him from his relative’s house in Varanasi. During interrogation, police claimed he confessed to the crime.

Based on the information provided by Virendra, police recovered the rope used in the murder, Aftab’s Aadhaar card, PAN card, ATM card, mobile phone, and other personal documents. Police said efforts are underway to arrest the associate involved in the crime.

Written by Anurag
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