Hotel cook eliminated in contract killing plotted by wife, her lover

Rajkot: The extramarital affair of a woman and its subsequent discovery led to the brutal murder of a 32-year-old Bihar man, working as a cook in a hotel in Bimasar village of Kutch's Anjar taluka. An investigation launched after the discovery of his body on Monday unravelled the sinister plot orchestrated by his wife and the hotel owner, who contracted killers to eliminate the victim, Arun Kumar Saav. Saav, originally from Gaya district in Bihar, was living in Bhimasar for the past seven to eight years and worked in the hotel owned by Haradhan Garai (33). Police officials confirmed to TOI that Saav's wife, Rekha (32), was involved in a romantic relationship with Garai for the past three years, which he discovered some days ago. The Kutch East police arrested Rekha, Garai, Anand Barot (22), who accepted the murder contract, and Gopal Barot (25) and Dilip Bhatti (20), who executed the killing. Further investigation revealed that Anand, Gopal and Dilip work in private companies as labourers.Investigation officer Ajaysinh Gohil told TOI: "The blood-soaked body was found near the railway station in Bhimasar, and the victim died of sharp weapon injuries on his neck." Anjar police formed multiple teams and scanned the CCTV footage from the surrounding areas. Using human intelligence, investigators traced the accused. "Fights erupted between the couple after Saav discovered their relationship. Rekha then conspired with Garai to eliminate him," Gohil said. Garai contacted his friend Anand in Bhimasar and promised him between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh to execute the plan. Anand, in turn, involved his friends Gopal and Dilip, agreeing to share part of the payment with them. On the night of Sept 14, Gopal and Dilip noticed Saav alone and carried out the murder. The accused informed each other that the task was completed. Garai reportedly informed Rekha soon after it was carried out. The following morning, Rekha, in the presence of police, claimed that an unknown person murdered her husband. Even though she knew the real perpetrators, she shed crocodile tears.