Man, minor son, nephew held for killing kin over ‘illicit affair’

Agra: A 45-year-old farmer, his minor son and nephew were arrested for allegedly murdering a 26-year-old man in Shahdara Bangar village under Bhopa police station area in Muzaffarnagar, police said on Wednesday. The crime is suspected to be linked to a past relationship involving the victim and the prime accused's wife (40), who died by suicide six months ago.Manoj Kumar, his minor son and nephew Bharat Kumar (in his early 20s) allegedly attacked Akshay Kumar with sharp-edged weapons and later shot him dead while he was returning from his agri field on Monday evening. All three were arrested within 24 hours of the crime.Police said the accused confessed during interrogation that Akshay had earlier been in a relationship with Manoj's wife, which had led to prolonged family tensions. The woman had allegedly consumed poison six months ago following the dispute. Akshay had been staying outside the village and had returned a day before the incident. Akshay was Manoj's relative as well, police said.SP (Rural) Aditya Bansal said eyewitnesses helped identify the accused, following which police teams acted swiftly to arrest them. Upon receiving information about the murder, we arrived at the location and conducted a detailed inspection. Based on eyewitness accounts, the accused were identified and arrested," he said.Police said one of the accused used a country-made pistol, while the others attacked the victim with sharp-edged weapons. The weapons used in the crime — including the pistol, a sickle, and a knife — have been recovered.A case has been registered under section 103 (murder) of BNS, and all three accused have been sent to judicial custody. Police said the murder was driven by anger over the alleged relationship.