Out on bail, Raj man kills friend over suspicion of affair with wife

Agra: A 31-year-old man out on bail was arrested after an encounter for allegedly murdering his friend over suspicion that he was having an illicit relationship with his wife, said Mathura police on Sunday. The accused, a resident of Alwar district in Rajasthan, opened fire at the police team and was injured in retaliatory firing.One Mukesh Kumar, 27, was found dead with head injuries on Dec 19 in Mathura. Based on a complaint by his father, a case was registered under BNS sections 103(1) (murder), 238 (destruction of evidence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) at Highway police station.SHO Shailendra Singh said Dharmendra Kumar and his wife were living in a rented house in Mathura. Dharmendra had a criminal history, including cases of attempt to murder, rioting, theft and violations of the Arms Act, and had spent over two years in a Rajasthan jail. During this period, Mukesh -- who ran an RO water plant in their village -- used to accompany Dharmendra's wife to the jail for meetings. "Dharmendra grew suspicious and believed Mukesh was having an illicit relationship with his wife. After his release from jail in Oct, he confronted Mukesh, which led to a heated argument. Dharmendra allegedly murdered Mukesh and disposed of the body in a canal," the SHO said.Mathura DSP Sandeep Singh said police tracked him down following a tip-off. "After a brief encounter, we arrested him and admitted him to district hospital. We recovered an illegal .315 bore country-made pistol, two empty cartridges, one live cartridge and a motorcycle without a number plate from him," he said.A separate FIR has been registered against him under relevant sections of the Arms Act and for attempt to murder for firing at the police. Further investigation is underway, the DSP said.