LUCKNOW: A week after the body of a 32-year-old property dealer was discovered in Krishna Nagar, police on Monday cracked the case.A missing motorcycle was allegedly the first step in a murder plot that ended with the man being killed with a knife, with police on Monday revealing how a woman allegedly tried to create trust, an alibi and an opportunity for her lover to eliminate her husband.Police arrested the victim’s wife, Pushpa Maurya, 30, and her paramour, Neeraj Maurya, 30, for the September 13-14 murder of Ram Babu Maurya.Additional DCP, South Zone, Vasanth Kumar Rallapali, said the alleged conspiracy involved deliberately making the victim’s motorcycle disappear, helping him recover it through Neeraj to regain his confidence, and then using a pilgrimage trip to create an alibi for the murder.“Pushpa and Neeraj had allegedly developed a relationship, which was known to Ram Babu and had led to disputes between the couple. Neeraj’s visits to the family home had subsequently stopped. The alleged plot then began with Ram Babu’s motorcycle being made to disappear. Neeraj later helped in its recovery, allegedly allowing him to regain Ram Babu’s trust and resume visiting the house without raising suspicion,” said the ADCP.Police said the next part of the plan was timed around Pushpa’s visit to Balaji. According to Rallapali, she travelled by bus from Delhi to Balaji and told her husband that she was going there for darshan. “She had told Neeraj that the ‘work’ should be completed before she returned. While Pushpa was away, Neeraj allegedly called Ram Babu to Krishnanagar on the pretext of having a party,” he added.Police said in a statement that the two consumed alcohol, following which Neeraj allegedly attacked Ram Babu’s neck with a domestic knife, killing him. He then allegedly fled the spot and gave the victim’s brother false information, investigators said.Police said Pushpa returned and remained around the victim’s family after the murder, allegedly to avoid suspicion.The murder came to light after Ram Babu’s brother, Shyam Babu Maurya, lodged a complaint on September 14, following which a case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against unidentified persons at Krishnanagar police station, said Siddhi Mishra, the police SI who probed the case.Four police teams were formed to investigate the case. Investigators examined around 180-200 CCTV recordings, besides using technical evidence, manual investigation and local intelligence to identify the two suspects, police said.A knife allegedly used in the murder has been recovered. Police also said Neeraj has a previous murder case registered against him in 2018 under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC in the Bidhnu/Bithoor area of Kanpur Nagar.