Three of family arrested for vice principal’s murder

Four people, including a minor, were on Wednesday arrested for the murder of a school vice principal who was shot dead a day before in a village in Moradabad, police said, adding Shababul Alam’s murder was to avenge the death of a 14-year-old boy earlier this year.

While two of the suspects are the boy’s brothers, one is their mother and the other a friend. They were identified as Shivam Raghav and minor brother, the boys’ mother Kavita Raghav and Shivam’s friend Harsh Choudhary.

Moradabad SP (city) Ranvijay Singh said the accused confessed that they were involved in the murder of vice principal Alam so as to avenge the death of Shivam’s younger brother, who was a student in a school where Alam was the vice principal.

It is said that Alam had scolded the boy after which he allegedly committed suicide on February 14.

Police have recovered a country-made pistol used in the crime, a cartridge, five mobile phones and a motorcycle from the possession of the arrested persons.

The SP said on the day of the crime, Harsh and Shivam waited for Alam on a bike with no licence plate. Harsh shot the teacher at point blank while the latter was going to the school in Lakhri Fazalpur village.

A video of the shooting, which went viral on social media, shows Alam purportedly collapsing on the road.

Sources said that Kavita and Shivam had threatened Alam of dire consequences as they blamed him for the alleged suicide. Alam’s family had also reported the matter to local police.