Killer of Dalit teacher, family held near Jewar, hurt in encounter with cops later

Lucknow: Chandan Verma (26), accused of murdering a Dalit schoolteacher, his wife and the couple’s two daughters in Amethi on Oct 3, was injured in an encounter with police in the district where he was taken on Saturday for recovery of murder weapon. Amethi additional SP Harendra Kumar said that Chandan is out of danger and undergoing treatment at a local CHC.

“During the operation of weapon recovery, Chandan grabbed a pistol from sub-inspector Madan Kumar Singh and opened fire at him. In response, the police fired in self-defence, hitting Chandan in the right leg. Following the incident, Chandan was admitted to Amethi’s Tiloi community health centre for treatment,” said Kumar.

Chandan, according to police, was arrested by UP STF near Jewar toll plaza in Gautam Buddh Nagar late on Friday.

Police said that Chandan was planning to flee to Delhi and then to Nepal, choosing a route to avoid UP police getting a whiff of his movement.

Chandan told the police that he was in love with the teacher’s wife, Poonam Bharti.

“During interrogation, he revealed that he was frustrated with the case registered by Poonam against him,” police said.”He tried to persuade the family to drop the case, but it had no impact. Failing in his efforts, he planned to eliminate the family. He also contacted one Annu, possibly from Rae Bareli, and asked for a country-made pistol on Sep 20. A .32 bore pistol was purchased by him along with 10 cartridges,” said the police.

Chandan told police that he fired 10 shots to kill all four members of the family. After executing the ghastly murders on Oct 3, Chandan claimed he attempted to shoot himself, but the shot misfired, and he fled the scene in a panic. He later abandoned his bike and took a bus from Prayagraj to Delhi, police said.

According to police, Sunil Kumar, 34, a teacher in a govt school, came to know about his wife’s affair on August 18, after which he made Poonam lodge an FIR against Chandan under the SC/ST Act and sexual harassment in Rae Bareli, accusing him of threatening her family. She also stated in her complaint that if any of her family members were harmed, Chandan should be held responsible for it.

On Oct 3, Chandan barged into the house of the victim in Amethi and not only eliminated Sunil and Poonam but also their daughters, Shrishti, 5, and Samiksha, 1.5 years. ASP Kumar said that Chandan Verma was the prime suspect, and he was in constant contact with Poonam through video chats.

Courtesy : TOI

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