Bullet-ridden body of Lucknow businessman found, driver detained

A bullet-ridden body of a 40-year-old businessman was recovered from the Dubbaga area of Lucknow on Monday. Police have detained the driver of the businessman in connection with the murder and seized the SUV, which allegedly has bloodstains.

Police suspect that Dhirendra Pratap Singh, a native of Unnao who had been running a transport and real estate business in Lucknow for several years, was murdered over a property dispute. Singh’s wife on Sunday lodged a police complaint, saying her husband had gone missing and she suspected that he was murdered.

She also alleged that the driver, Ravi Tiwari, could be involved in her husband’s disappearance. She claimed that Singh left home on Saturday. When she called the driver, he allegedly said that her husband was with his friends.

Despite repeated attempts to speak to her husband, the driver, who was carrying Singh’s cellphone, did not put the call through to him, police said. The driver later stopped responding to her calls, further raising her suspicion.

Police detained Tiwari and his associate for questioning. They also seized Singh’s SUV. Police suspect that Singh may have been shot inside the vehicle before his body was dumped near a canal in the Dubbaga area. “We are questioning the driver as part of the investigation.

Six police teams have been formed to investigate the case. The teams are examining surveillance inputs, CCTV footage and other technical evidence, while also collecting other evidence to establish the sequence of events and identify those involved in the murder,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Lucknow South), Mohd Mushtaq said.

According to police sources, Tiwari reportedly said that he had taken Singh for shopping and to several other places in Lucknow on Saturday evening. However, after police checked the CCTV footage from the locations mentioned by Tiwari, they found that the driver’s account did not match the footage.

Police also learnt that Singh was involved in a land dispute with another group in Unnao, and they are examining whether the dispute had any connection with the murder. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and the report is awaited.