Bareilly (UP), Feb 28 (PTI) A constable of the 8th battalion of the Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) of Uttar Pradesh police has been arrested along with two of his accomplices for the murder of his wife here, a police official said on Friday.

PAC constable Ravi Kumar allegedly hatched a conspiracy to kill his wife Meenu alias Meena and paid a contract killer Rs 3 lakh for her death, police said, adding that he then tried to hide the crime by calling it a robbery.

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Additional Superintendent of Police (North) Mukesh Chandra Mishra said that the investigation was launched after Meenu's father, Jagdish, filed a complaint accusing his son-in-law, Ravi Kumar, of being responsible for her death.

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Following this, Ravi Kumar, dentist Shanu (27), and nursing assistant Jatin (28) were arrested on Thursday. The officers also recovered the motorcycle used by Shanu and Jatin, as well as the jewelry, syringes, and poisonous injections used in the crime.

The Additional SP said that the investigation revealed that Ravi Kumar, who had been married to Meenu since 2015 and had three daughters, was unhappy in his marriage.

Kumar had been seeking help from 'tantriks' (sorcerers) because he believed his wife was possessed by 'ghosts.' Additionally, he had developed a relationship with another woman and wanted to marry her.

According to the police, Ravi Kumar contacted a notorious criminal named Shanu and offered him Rs 3 lakh to carry out the murder. Shanu then enlisted Jatin, who suggested using a poisonous injection to induce cardiac arrest, making the cause of death more difficult to ascertain, police said.

On February 22, 2025, Ravi Kumar took Meenu to Faridpur on the pretext of showing her a plot of land, where Shanu and Jatin were waiting for him.

"When Ravi pretended to show her the plot, Shanu and Jatin tried to stop Meenu, and Jatin injected her with poison seven times. After her death, Shanu took her jewellery to stage a robbery," the officer said.

Ravi then parked the car, hid in a nearby field, and called one of his friends to tell him that he had been robbed and beaten up. It was an attempt to mislead the police and divert suspicion from himself, the police said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)