A 45-year-old property dealer, Dhirendra Pratap Singh, was allegedly abducted and murdered in Lucknow, with police suspecting a dispute involving land in Unnao as a possible motive, officials said. The body was recovered from a canal near Dubagga on Sunday, more than 22 km from the place where he was allegedly abducted.
The vehicle was also recovered. The teams examined CCTV footage and surveillance inputs to establish his movements and identify those involved. Police are examining Singh’s land-related dealings, the nature of the dispute and the people involved to determine whether the driver or his associates had any connection with those opposed to him. Investigators have not ruled out other possible motives.
Sources said Singh was suspected to have been shot in the leg and head inside his SUV (Fortuner) before his body was allegedly dumped in the canal. Police, however, said the exact motive and sequence of events would become clear as the investigation progresses. Singh, who lived in the PGI area and was originally from Unnao, had gone missing from Sushant Golf City, according to police. Deputy commissioner of police (south) Mohd Mushtaq said a missing person case was registered soon after the complaint was received, and six police teams were formed to trace Singh and investigate the case. The investigation so far indicates that a dispute over property in Unnao could have led to the killing, according to Mushtaq.
The incident occurred on Saturday and came to light after people spotted Singh’s body in Chhoti Naher in the Saray Premraj area under Dubagga police station, officials said, adding that his driver and one of his associates had been detained and were being questioned. His wife Mamta Singh filed a complaint on Saturday alleging that her husband had been abducted by his driver and some associates.
The post-mortem examination is expected to establish the exact cause and manner of Singh’s death.
Mushtaq said anyone else found to have been involved would face “strict and effective action”. The investigation is continuing, with the Unnao property dispute remaining a key line of inquiry, officials said.
The body has been recovered, and the vehicle in which he was murdered has also been recovered,” Mushtaq said, adding that a murder case was registered on Sunday after the body was found. “During the investigation so far, it has emerged that his driver, along with his associates, murdered Dhirendra Pratap Singh.
