MP horror: Teacher robbed of Rs 4 lakh, burnt to death in Damoh district

BHOPAL: A teacher was burnt alive by robbers after they snatched Rs 4 lakh off him in MP's Damoh district on Thursday night. The killers haven't been identified yet, and it's not known why a robbery ended up as a gruesome murder.

The victim, 47-year-old Rajesh Tripathi, was a primary teacher at a govt school and lived in Sunwaha village, around 40km from the district headquarters and 270km from Bhopal.

His brother Mukesh told police that Rajesh visited Hatta town, 20km from Sunwaha, and was returning home with Rs 4 lakh in cash when he was waylaid near a canal. The robbers thrashed him, looted the cash, poured petrol on him and set him on fire, say police.

Mukesh said his brother called him in his dying agony to tell him that some people had set him ablaze.

Teacher declared dead on arrival at hospital
Mukesh rushed to the location with other family members and found Rajesh severely burnt.

Rajesh was taken to Hata Civil Hospital, where doctors referred him to the district hospital due to the severity of his burns. He was declared dead on arrival.

Rajesh's brother alerted police and a team was sent to inspect the crime scene and take forensics samples. A motorcycle and a bag were recovered at the scene.

Rajesh's motorcycle was found parked on the canal banks, close to where the scorched earth showed where he was set on fire.

"Currently we are going by the statements of his family. All angles are being verified," Damoh SP Shrut Kirti Somavanshi told TOI.