Executive Engineer of Jal Nigam Found Murdered in Sultanpur; Police Launch Manhunt For Suspects

LUCKNOW: An executive engineer of Jal Nigam (rural), Santosh Kumar (52), was found murdered at his rented residence in Sultanpur district on Saturday. Police identified an assistant engineer of Jal Nigam and his accomplice as suspects in the murder, based on preliminary investigations.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sultanpur, Somen Barma, has formed four teams to apprehend the accused. Authorities have also detained Santosh Kumar’s driver for questioning as they probe the motive behind the murder.

Santosh Kumar, who had been stationed in Sultanpur since February 2023, was discovered unconscious at his residence around 9:15 AM. Authorities rushed him to the medical college, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Police revealed that the assistant engineer and his accomplice arrived at Santosh Kumar’s residence at approximately 8:15 AM on Saturday. They instructed Santosh’s driver, Sandeep, to fetch curd and jalebi. Upon returning, Sandeep discovered Santosh Kumar gagged with tape and being brutally beaten by the two suspects. As Sandeep raised an alarm, the attackers fled the scene.

Police have identified the main suspect and are in the process of identifying others involved in the crime. Authorities have established teams to arrest the accused. Upon receiving information, the district magistrate, SP, Chief Development Officer (CDO), Additional District Magistrate (ADM), and Nagar Kotwal promptly arrived at the hospital.

Sandeep, who lived with Santosh Kumar, stated that he had been sleeping that morning when he received several calls from the assistant engineer of the department. When Sandeep answered, the assistant engineer instructed him to come downstairs. Upon doing so, the assistant engineer asked him to bring curd and jalebi.

Upon returning, Sandeep found Santosh Kumar’s mouth taped shut and a group of individuals severely beating him. Sandeep shouted for help, but the attackers threatened to kill him before fleeing the scene.

Kedarnath, a nearby employee of Jal Nigam, was alerted to the incident and, along with others, rushed to the residence. They immediately transported Santosh Kumar to the medical college, but he had already succumbed to his injuries.

Police suspect Sandeep’s involvement in the crime and have detained him for questioning, as he was the one who initially reported the events to the authorities.