PATNA: A day after Krishna Shahi, the traders' cell chief of the BJP in Bihar, was found dead in a well, the police, on Thursday, said he was murdered because he was having an extramarital relation with the sister of the main accused.
Shahi’s body was recovered from a well in Manjha village in western Gopalganj district on Wednesday. SP Ravi Ranjan Kumar said the case was solved in less than 24 hours as the main accused, Aditya Rai, confessed to having killed Shahi. Eighteen people, including Rai, have been arrested in connection with the murder.
“The main accused confessed that he perpetrated the crime after learning some fifteen days ago that Shahi had been visiting his house late at night and having an illicit relation with his sister,” said the SP.
Rai allegedly told police that he had invited Shahi to his house for a feast on Tuesday night and added poison in the curries. When Shahi died, he threw the body into a nearby well, police said.
Shahi’s family, however, denied that he was having any extramarital relation and claimed that the murder was the result of political rivalry. Shahi had contested the 2009 Assembly polls from Hathua constituency on a BSP ticket and lost. He then joined the BJP last year and was expected to get a ticket from the party for Kuchaikot constituency.
An FIR lodged by Shahi’s brother, Umesh Shahi, named six people along with the JD(U) legislator from Kuchaikot constituency, Amarendra Kumar Pandey, and his nephew and Gopalganj district board chairman Mukesh Pandey for conspiring to have Shahi eliminated.
Both Amarendra Pandey and Mukesh Pandey are known for their muscle-flexing ways in Gopalganj. The MLA has several criminal cases, including that of extortion, pending against him.
His father, Manager Shahi, was also murdered some years ago allegedly due to political reasons. Krishna’s wife, Sita Shahi, is currently the mukhia (elected village head) of Chainpur panchayat in Gopalganj.