LUCKNOW: The faint creaks of an iron charpoy in the dead of night led to the unravelling of the murder of a 50-year-old restaurant owner Shatrughan Rathore by his wife Rakhi Rathore’s lover, Dharmendra Rathore and his two accomplices, on Dec 30 in Thakurganj.
The victim’s elder daughter, startled by unusual noise, woke up and alerted the neighbours.
This forced the criminals to alter their plans and flee, but as they jumped from an 18-foot wall, one of them sustained multiple fractures. “The wife, Rakhi, her paramour Dharmendra Rathore and his accomplice Ankit have been arrested and sent to jail on Wednesday, while one Ranjeet is still elusive,” said DCP West Vishwajeet Srivastava.
On the night of the murder, Shatrughan returned home and went to bed after dinner. Rakhi, meanwhile, slept in another room with their four daughters.
Around 1:30 am, Rakhi claimed she heard screams but found her room was locked from outside.
When the room was opened, Shatrughan was found dead. Initially, Rakhi filed a complaint alleging unknown assailants broke in and killed her husband.
DCP Srivastav, who supervised the probe, said that during interrogation, police detained Dharmendra Rathore (40), his brother Ankit Rathore, and their friend Ranjit Vishwakarma. The three confessed to the crime, revealing that Dharmendra, who had a travel business, was in a relationship with Rakhi for years. He orchestrated the murder with her assistance as Shatrughan used to object to his meetings with Rakhi and staying at home in his absence.
“The plan to make the death appear as a result of heart attack or overdose fell apart when Shatrughan screamed during the attack, waking his elder daughter. The accused fled via the terrace but were clearly identified in CCTV, installed at the back of the house in the alley.”
