Korba, Aug 14 (PTI) Nearly five years after a 25-year-old woman news anchor went missing in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, police have arrested three men on the charge of her murder, officials said on Monday.
The main accused, with whom the deceased was in a relationship, suspected her fidelity, besides there were some issues over money, as per the preliminary investigation regarding the motive behind the crime.
The accused trio had allegedly buried the body of the victim woman near a bridge in Korba where a national highway has been constructed.
Police unsuccessfully tried to locate the victim’s remains with the help of satellite data, thermal imaging, and ground penetrating radar machine. Further action regarding tracing the mortal remains will be taken as per the court’s order, police said.
The accused trio is identified as Madhur Sahu (37), and his accomplices Kaushal Sriwas (29) and Atul Sharma (26), all residents of Korba city.
Family members of the victim, Salma Sultana Lashkar, had lodged a missing person complaint in January 2019, Korba Superintendent of Police Uday Kiran said.
Another police official said, Lashkar, who was working as an anchor with a local cable news channel, had left her paternal house in Kusmunda police station area and was staying with accused Madhur Sahu in Sharada Vihar locality here.
In March this year, police launched ‘Operation Muskan’ to trace missing women and children during which the case of Lashkar was examined. Police realised that statements of some family members were yet to be recorded in the matter, Uday Kiran said.
A police team led by city superintendent of police (Darri) Robinson Guria was constituted to probe the case.
Upon recording the statements, police learnt that Lashkar had availed loan from a nationalized bank and its instalments were still being paid through her account. Further investigation revealed that Sahu, who is the owner of a gym, has been depositing money into Lashkar’s account.
Sahu went absconding after police launched an investigation. Subsequently, police examined the five-year-old call details record of Lashkar, interrogated persons who were known to both Sahu and the deceased, and zeroed in on the three accused, Uday Kiran said.
During interrogation, they confessed to having killed Lashkar on October 21, 2018, in the same house in Sharda Vihar.
“Sahu and Lashkar were in a relationship but he suspected her fidelity. The duo also had monetary issues between them,” Uday Kiran said.
Sahu and Sriwas allegedly strangled Lashkar to death. They along with the third accused, Sharma, dumped the victim woman’s body near Kohadiya bridge in front of a temple, he said.
“The police tried to trace the victim’s body with the help of satellite data, thermal imaging, and ground penetrating radar machine but could not find the mortal remains as a national highway has been constructed at the place. Further action to trace the mortal remains will be carried out as per court’s order,” he added.
Police seized a laptop, a hard disc, a few audio clips and a car used in the crime to dump the body, he said, adding that further probe is underway. PTI Cor TKP NSK
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