Nearly three weeks before a family of four was shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi on October 3, Chandan Verma, the suspect in the case reportedly updated, in what seemed to be a warning, as the status of his WhatsApp. “5 people are going to die, I will show you soon,” the message on Chandan’s WhatsApp still reads, sources said. However, it was not clear if Chandan was using the phone, or operating the messaging app. It was also not clear who the fifth person referred to was, and investigations over the same are underway.
The status was updated on September 12, days after the Amethi family had lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Chandan, on August 18, accusing him of eve-teasing.
Those dead in the Amethi mass murder case were identified as Sunil (35) – a government school teacher, his wife Poonam (32), and their two daughters – Drishti (6) and Lado (18 months). The family lived in a rented accommodation in the city.
The FIR against Chandan was lodged by Poonam, under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Superintendent of Police of Amethi Anoop Kumar Singh told news agency PTI.
The complainant mentioned that “if anything happens to her or her family”, Verma should be held responsible for it.
Singh told PTI the police were investigating if the murder was related to the previous FIR lodged by Poonam.
AMETHI FAMILY KILLED: HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED
Loud gunshots were heard in the vicinity of Ahorwa Bhavani crossing in Amethi, where Sunil, a native of Rae Bareli, posted at a government school in the city, lived with his family. As the neighbours rushed out of their homes, they found the family of four dead on the back side of their house.
Officials of the police and education departments arrived at the spot where District Magistrate Nisha Anant and SP Anoop Singh were already present. Senior officials from Lucknow too rushed to Amethi.
The spot of the incident is around 60 kilometres from the district headquarters.
As the bodies of the four were recovered, the police formed teams to probe the matter. Teams of Local Intelligence Unit and Special Operation Groups were also pressed in to assist in the investigation, officials told PTI.
“We are scanning the CCTV footage of cameras in the area as part of an effort to identify the assailants,” an officer said.
Inspector General of Police Praveen Kumar, who reached the crime spot, told reporters that the assailants appeared to be known to the deceased.
“It has been revealed in our preliminary forensic investigation of the crime scene that there is no sign of forced entry. Prima facie it appears that the assailants may have been known to the victim family,” Kumar said.
AMETHI FAMILY’s POSTMORTEM REPORT
The postmortem report of Sunil and his family that Sunil was shot three times, his wife twice, and their daughters were each shot once.
The postmortem was carried out in the early hours under tight security due to the sensitive nature of the case. Following the procedure, the bodies were sent to Rae Bareli, the family’s native place, for the final rites.
POLITICAL STORM ERUPTS
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident.
In a post in Hindi on X, he said, “The incident that happened in Amethi district today is highly condemnable and unforgivable. My condolences are with the bereaved families. In this hour of grief, the UP government stands with the victim’s family. The culprits of this incident will not be spared at any cost, strict legal action will be taken against them.”
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, while reacting to the incident, questioned the law and order situation in the state in a cryptic post on X.
“Koi Hai? Kahin hai? (Is anyone there? Is someone anywhere?),” Yadav posted while sharing a news clip of the incident.
Congress MP from Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma, also attacked the government over the murders.
“In Shivratanganj area of Amethi, miscreants barged into a house and brutally shot dead Sunil Kumar, assistant teacher in a composite school, his wife and two children. The savage criminals killed the entire family,” Sharma wrote in Hindi on X.
“Hearing about this heart-rending incident sent shivers down the spine. The entire Amethi family is as upset as they are angry,” he said.
“This mass murder is the result of the government’s ruined law and order situation. The criminals are fearless. The police administration should immediately arrest the criminals and give them the harshest punishment,” he added.
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