Rajasthan jawan who ‘faked death’ reappears, dies

JAIPUR: An Army jawan, who was believed to have died in a car mishap, reappeared after six days but died in a Jhunjhunu hospital during treatment on Monday.

The jawan, Vikas Bhaskar (25), was a native of Kanwarpura Balaji village in Jhunjhunu district and was reported to have died in a car fire in Dundlod town in the same district on March 24. Taking the body found in the car to be his, the jawan’s family had performed his last rites.

The jawan mysteriously reappeared on Monday, but soon took ill and was taken to a hospital where he died during treatment, said police.

Jhunjhunu SP Raj Rishi Verma said, “We had information that the jawan faked his death on March 24 and our team was investigating the matter. In the meantime, he returned home on Monday and when police reached his place, he was found to be ill. Following this, he was admitted to Mukundgarh community health centre from where he was referred to a hospital in Jhunjhunu in critical condition.”

The medical team handed over the soldier’s body to his relatives after post-mortem. The cause of death will be known based on his viscera report, said police.

It was alleged that the jawan had killed his farm labourer Mahesh Meghwal to use the corpse for faking his own death to claim an insurance amount. On being found out, he died by suicide on Monday, as the cops were hot on his heels.

The SP, though, said, “It is still to be established if the man found in the jawan’s burnt car was killed by him. Why he faked his death is also under investigation. He died on Monday before he could be interrogated. It is still to be ascertained if the corpse found in his car was that of his labourer Mahesh Meghwal, who is missing.”

Initial police probe found that soldier Bhaskar was posted in Srinagar and suffered financial losses to the tune of Rs 1.5 million in online trading. To make up for the loss, he bought an insurance policy and planned his own death with the help of his cousin Ramesh alias Sonu. The duo decided to set Bhaskar’s car on fire with his farm labourer Mahesh Meghwal’s body in it, said police sources.

An official at Mukundgarh police station said, “Labourer Mahesh Meghwal’s niece Sunita had filed a complaint against Bhaskar, his wife Kavita and cousin Ramesh alias Sonu. In her report, Sunita alleged that her uncle Mahesh was kidnapped and murdered by the trio. After this, to show it as an accident, the car was set on fire with Mahesh’s body in the driver’s seat. The accused conspired to fake Vikas’s death to avail the benefits of insurance policy.” Police are investigating the allegations.