Two friends kill UP man over love affair dispute, bury body in pit near his home

The body of a 27-year-old man who had been missing for six days was recovered from a pit near his home in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district, officials said on Tuesday. Police suspect that two of his friends killed him following a dispute over a love affair and confessed to have committed the crime.

One of the accused has been detained for questioning, while police have registered a murder case against both suspects.

Police identified the victim as Brijendra Singh, a resident of Pratappur village. He had left home on the night of October 27 to guard agricultural fields but did not return. His brother, Virendra Singh, lodged a missing person complaint on October 28.

Brijendra's mobile phone was found near a canal culvert in the village on Monday, prompting police to intensify the investigation. Police later detained his friend Neeraj Singh for questioning, according to news agency PTI.

During questioning, Neeraj confessed that he and his friend Sahil had strangled Brijendra, the SHO said. Acting on information allegedly provided by Neeraj, police recovered Brijendra's body from a pit where it had been buried, about 200 metres from his house.

The accused told police that the killing followed a dispute related to a love affair, but the SHO did not provide further details. He said a detailed investigation was under way and more information would emerge after the accused were questioned.

Police have registered a murder case against Neeraj Singh and Sahil and sent Brijendra's body for a post-mortem examination. The investigation into the killing and its alleged motive is continuing.- Ends