LUCKNOW: Two days after the killing, police on Wednesday worked out a blind murder case where a watchman was stabbed 15 times to death while sleeping on a terrace in Mahigawa.Police said a family dispute over land took a deadly turn in Lucknow when a 17-year-old allegedly plotted the murder of his elder brother and agreed to pay Rs 88,000 to have him killed, police said.The victim, 30-year-old Satish Yadav, who worked as a watchman was asleep on the terrace of a house under construction in the Mahigwan area when four men allegedly reached the spot in the early hours of August 31 and attacked him with a knife and iron rods, police said.Three men have now been arrested and the minor has been taken into police protection, while another accused, identified as Balbir, remains wanted.According to DCP North Amit K Anand, the alleged motive was a long-running dispute within the family over property.“Satish had received land from his maternal grandmother as ancestral/family property and had sold it earlier, spending the money on personal needs and other expenses. He was subsequently putting pressure on his father to sell more land belonging to his share, leading to repeated disagreements within the family,” the DCP said, Wednesday.Police said the younger brother, frustrated by the pressure and dispute, allegedly decided to eliminate Satish and approached his acquaintances for help.ACP BKT Vikas Pandey said the minor allegedly gave Rs 58,000 to his friend Anand Kumar as expenses for carrying out the killing. The total amount agreed upon was Rs 88,000, with the remaining Rs 30,000 allegedly to be paid later.The murder was carried out when Satish was asleep, according to police. The accused allegedly reached the construction site in Ganeshpur and attacked him repeatedly with a knife and iron rods before fleeing on motorcycles.The police recovered the two motorcycles allegedly used in the crime, besides the knife and three iron rods.“The breakthrough came after investigators analysed call detail records and technical evidence and worked on information gathered through local sources. Anand Kumar, 22, and the minor were taken into custody around 3.15 am on Wednesday,” said ACP Pandey.Deepak Rawat, 21, and Rachit Rawat were arrested around 4.50 am from Singhpur Pulia in Mahigwan.The police have identified Balbir, son of Munnu, as another wanted accused and are conducting searches for him.The case, initially registered as a blind murder, has now been registered under sections 103(1) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.Police said they are also examining the criminal history, if any, of the arrested accused.
