New Delhi: Frustrated by their elder son’s addiction and behavioural issues, a couple in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh took the drastic step of having him killed by a local goon Friday night. The body of 32-year-old Dushyant Kumar was found in a dry canal near his village Saturday morning.
Dushyant lived in Nasirpur village with his parents, Preetam Singh and Maya Devi, and his younger brother Sankit, a senior officer involved in the investigation told ThePrint.
The officer said that Dushyant was murdered on the intervening night of 8 and 9 May, and was dumped in a canal near the village. “The family was tormented by the behaviour of Dushyant. He was unmarried and unemployed. He was addicted to alcohol, and used to demand money from the family. He resorted to violence and intimidation over small quarrels or the denial of his demands,” the officer said.
Asked about the deal made by the family with the contract killer, the officer said, “A deal of Rs 5 lakh was struck with Jogendra aka ‘Jolly’, of which an advance of Rs 55,000 was paid.” Jogendra had other criminal cases registered against him, according to the officer. “The mother was aware of the plan, and even pawned her jewellery to secure the token money.”
The officer added that a screwdriver was used for the murder according to the post-mortem report, but the weapon is yet to be recovered. “During our investigation, we spoke to the locals and received inputs that Sankit was seen with Jolly multiple times. During questioning, Sankit confessed to his crimes,” he said. “We arrested two of the accused, Sankit, the younger brother, and the victim’s father, Preetam Singh, Sunday. Maya Devi, the mother, and Jogendra are still at large. Efforts are underway to nab the accused.”
ThePrint also reached Amroha Additional Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Bhadauriya via phone for a comment. The report will be updated as and when a response is received.
Violent crimes against family members stemming from addiction issues is fairly common, but this case is one of the rare instances where an affected family took such a drastic step.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) latest report, a total of 27,049 murder cases were registered in 2024, with ‘disputes’ being the highest contributing factor in 9,607 cases.
According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), the percentage of male alcohol consumers stands at 22.4 percent. Furthermore, the latest National Mental Health Survey by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) revealed that 4.6 per cent of their respondents suffered from alcohol use disorder.
Anmol Kapil is a TPSJ alum, and an intern with ThePrint.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)