LUCKNOW: Five people have been arrested for abducting a senior nursing officer of King George’s Medical University and his friend for Rs 50 lakh ransom and murdering them after the demand could not be met.The accused informed the police that they threw the bodies in Ghaghara river. Their bodies are yet to be recovered, and an extensive search operation involving SDRF, PAC, water police, divers and local police teams is underway.The victims were identified as Pawan Kumar Garg (43), an assistant nursing superintendent at KGMU, and his friend Sachin Vishwakarma (24).DCP, north zone, Amit Anand, said that the mastermind, Nitin Mishra (38), a confectionery shop owner, was acquainted with Garg and knew that he had recently arranged around Rs 50-60 lakh, which he planned to invest in property. Investigators said Mishra conspired with four of his associates – Avnish Kumar Maurya (38), a vegetable wholesaler; Prakash Singh (24), an auto-rickshaw driver; Suraj Singh (32), a tea stall owner; and Mohit Singh (26), who worked as an accountant in Maurya’s business – to kidnap Garg and extort money from him.Police said that on Sept 27, Mishra called Garg to Bhitauli crossing. Garg reached there with his friend Vishwakarma.Mishra took the duo to a dhaba in Itaunja, where they ate and consumed alcohol. Following an argument, the accused reportedly took them to an under-construction house in Annamau and confined them to separate rooms.“During captivity, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh from Garg. Mishra also drove away Garg’s SUV and abandoned it in Sitapur district to mislead the police,” said Anand.Garg told the kidnappers that he was unable to arrange the ransom amount. The accused feared that releasing the two men would expose their crime. On Sept 28, the accused strangled both with a rope.The same evening, the accused transported the bodies through Mahmudabad to Chalhari Ghat and threw them into Ghaghara from a bridge, police said.Garg’s brother lodged a missing-person complaint at Madiaon police station on Sept 29. During investigation, police analysed CCTV footage, toll plaza records, vehicle movements and technical surveillance data, which led them to the suspects.Police registered a case on Oct 2 under Section 140(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.The arrests were made by a joint team of Madiyaon police, Lucknow Crime Branch and surveillance and crime units of the north zone.Police said they recovered Garg’s gold chain, ring, driving licence, photocopies of his Aadhaar card and bank statement, as well as an SUV and a car used in the crime.Investigators are also examining information that Garg had recently sold a plot in Kalli West and was planning to reinvest the proceeds in another property transaction.Police said they were verifying the criminal history of the accused and analysing additional CCTV footage and forensic evidence to establish the complete sequence of events and determine whether other people were involved in the conspiracy.
