The prime suspect in the gruesome murder of a teacher, his wife, and their two school-going daughters in Amethi has reportedly confessed to having a turbulent relationship with the victim. Chandan Verma, arrested from a toll plaza near Noida on Friday, committed the murders after the relationship soured, police officials said, quoting the accused.
Verma was apprehended while trying to flee to Delhi. The next day, during the recovery of the motorcycle and pistol used in the commission of the crime, he snatched the firearm from a policeman and fired it at him. Thankfully for him, the officer escaped serious injury, but Verma sustained a gunshot injury in the leg from another officer, according to the Uttar Pradesh Police.
The tragic incident took place in Bhavani Nagar, Amethi, on Thursday in which Sunil Kumar, his wife Poonam, and two daughters, aged one and six, were shot dead inside the house. It subsequently emerged that Poonam had filed a complaint with the police against Verma two months earlier, accusing him of issuing threats to her multiple times and warning that he would be responsible if anything happened to her and her family. She had also accused him of sexual harassment.
He was arrested by the STF at Jewar Toll Plaza while trying to flee from there at about 2:40 pm, Amethi Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar Singh said in a press conference. Verma, during preliminary interrogation, said that he and Poonam had been having a love affair for some time, but over the last few days, some problems cropped up that disturbed him. This disturbance prompted him to kill Poonam and her family members, he said.
The police officials claimed that all the bullets recovered from the crime spot were of the same weapon, and hence Verma acted alone. Verma fired ten shots before attempting to take his own life, though he did not dare to shoot himself.
In a shocking turn of events, a report stated that Verma had posted a threatening WhatsApp status on September 12, which read, “Five people are going to die; I will show you soon.”
In another police action, while the police were taking him through the area where he had claimed to have discarded the gun used in the crime, he snatched the revolver of one of the escorting officers and tried to shoot him with intent to kill. Acting quickly, the officer dodged the attack, and another officer shot Verma in the leg. Verma has now been hospitalized for his injuries.
An earlier complaint by Poonam also mentioned one incident on August 18 in Rae Bareli. She said that when she resisted his advances, Verma slapped her and her husband. Poonam had already warned that Verma had threatened her life. Saying, “If you report this, I will kill you. My family is in danger; if anything wrong happens to me, my husband, Chandan Verma, will be responsible. I request you to register my complaint and take necessary action.”
