Kashi familicide: Police launch search for prime suspect nephew

After the five murders in the Bhadaini area of Varanasi, investigation is now focused on finding the nephew of Rajendra Gupta, Vikki, who is the prime suspect, said a senior police officer.

Gupta was initially suspected to have killed his wife and three children, but the investigation took a new turn after the body of Gupta was found with two bullet injury marks.

Vikki’s mobile phone is continuously switched off and police have sent teams to other states, the cop added.

Investigation revealed that there was a property dispute in the family and that dispute is the reason behind the incident, the officer said.

Vikki recently threatened Rajendra Gupta, added the officer. Vikki and his brother, Jugnoo, aka Prashant, were living in Bengaluru. While Jugnoo reached Varanasi after the incident, Vikki was not traceable. Meanwhile, commissioner of police, Varanasi, Mohit Agarwal said, “Around 10 police teams along with cops of special operations group (SOG) and crime branch sleuths have been constituted to work out the case.”

Police interrogated more than 10 suspects in connection with the case, sources in the police said on Thursday, adding that two people had been detained.

Moreover, a police official said that police found books related to “tantra-mantra” and vaastu shastra from Rajendra Gupta’s under-construction house on the outskirts of the city.

Four persons — Neetu Gupta (in her 40s), daughter Gaurangi, 16 and sons Navanendra, 22 and Subendra, 15 — were found murdered at their home in the Bhadaini area on Tuesday.

Within a few hours, the body of Neetu’s husband Rajendra Gupta was found in an under-construction house in Akhari area on the outskirts of Varanasi.

The investigation indicated that the assailant did a recce before committing the crime, those in the know of things said.

Neetu Gupta’s body also bore more than one bullet injury mark.