In a significant breakthrough, four individuals—including a former village pradhan—were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the brutal killing of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) district president Vinod Singh, along with his son and brother, in Akhri village of Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district. The triple murder, which took place on Tuesday, is suspected to be the result of a long-standing rivalry linked to panchayat elections, police officials said.
Vinod Singh, also known as Pappu (50), his son Abhay Pratap Singh (21), and his brother Anoop Singh, alias Pinku (44), were shot dead in broad daylight. Their mother, Ram Dulari, currently serves as the pradhan (village head) of Akhri, adding a political dimension to the crime.
Those taken into custody include former village head Suresh Singh alias Mannu (50), his two sons—Bhupendra Singh (23) and Piyush Singh (25)—and their cousin Sajjan Singh (44). According to police, Piyush and Sajjan were injured during an early morning encounter while attempting to evade arrest.
Fatehpur police stated that the suspects were intercepted during a routine vehicle-checking operation on Wednesday morning. When signaled to stop, the occupants of an SUV allegedly opened fire at the police team. Officers responded, and in the ensuing gunfight, Piyush and Sajjan sustained gunshot wounds to their legs. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment and are said to be in stable condition.
Authorities recovered the SUV and seized two country-made pistols from the scene.
Fatehpur Circle Officer Prabhat Kumar Tiwari confirmed that efforts are underway to track down two additional suspects whose names surfaced during the ongoing investigation.
An FIR had been lodged on Tuesday at Hatgawan police station based on a complaint filed by Manisha Singh, the wife of the deceased Abhay Pratap Singh. The complaint named five individuals, including Suresh Singh and his sons, as key accused in the case.
Police officially handed over the bodies of the victims to their family on Wednesday. Funeral rites were conducted the same day, according to Hatgawan police station in-charge Aniket Bhardwaj.
