Varanasi: The decomposed body of a 19-year-old youth, who had been missing since Aug 6, was recovered from a cow-dung pit near Khakhariya Pokhari on Lahartara Road late Friday. Police have arrested his three friends, who allegedly killed him during a liquor party to avenge an earlier assault, dismembered his body, packed the remains in a plastic sack and dumped them in the pit.According to reports, the deceased, Eshu Kannaujia, a resident of the Shivpurwa area, had left home on the evening of August 6 and did not return. His family initially did not search extensively, as he often stayed out overnight. After failing to trace him for several days, they lodged a missing person complaint at Sigra police station on Aug 17.Police examined the youth’s mobile call detail records and found his last location in the Shivpurwa area. His last call was allegedly made by his friend Pradeep, also a resident of Shivpurwa. Based on surveillance and CCTV footage, police detained Pradeep, who later confessed to the crime.According to police, Pradeep, along with Rohit and Ramkrishna alias Ramkishan, took the victim to an abandoned railway quarter near the Lahartara-Mahmoorganj water tank area on Aug 7. They allegedly made him consume alcohol and then assaulted him. Police said Rohit and Ramkrishna held the victim while Pradeep attacked him with a sharp weapon, killing him.The accused allegedly cut the body into pieces, packed it in a plastic sack and kept it in the abandoned quarter. Later that night, they dumped the sack in the cow-dung pit.Sigra police recovered the decomposed body from the pit around 10 pm on Friday and sent it to the mortuary at Kabir Chaura divisional hospital.Police said the three accused—Pradeep, his brother Ramkrishna, and their friend Rohit—have been arrested and are being questioned.
