Panipat, June 15: In a chilling turn of events, police have arrested a woman and her lover for orchestrating the murder of her husband in Panipat, Haryana. The victim, Vinod Barada, initially survived a staged accident only to be shot dead two months later.
The Incident
On October 5, 2021, Vinod Barada was deliberately hit by a Punjab-registered vehicle, resulting in fractures to both his legs. Despite surviving the accident, Vinod faced a grimmer fate on December 15, 2021, when he was shot at his home. The murder plot, orchestrated by his wife, Nidhi, and her lover, Sumit, has finally come to light following an in-depth police investigation.
The Conspiracy
The conspiracy began unraveling when Virendra, Vinod’s uncle, lodged a complaint in December 2021. Following the accident, a case was registered against the driver, Dev Sunar, who was subsequently arrested. However, the situation escalated when Sunar threatened Vinod after he refused a settlement offer.
On December 15, 2021, Sunar entered Vinod’s house armed with a pistol, locked the door, and shot Vinod in the waist and head. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Vinod was declared dead on arrival.
Breakthrough in Investigation
Initially, Dev Sunar was the sole accused, imprisoned in Panipat jail while awaiting trial. However, new suspicions arose when Vinod’s brother, residing in Australia, expressed doubts about additional accomplices through a WhatsApp message. This prompted a police official to reopen the investigation with a fresh perspective.
Upon re-examining the case, investigators discovered frequent communications between Dev Sunar and a man named Sumit, who had a close relationship with Vinod’s wife, Nidhi. Sumit, a gym trainer who met Nidhi in 2021, confessed to plotting both the accident and the subsequent shooting during police interrogation.
The Murder Plot
According to Sumit’s confession, his relationship with Nidhi led to frequent confrontations with Vinod. In response, Sumit and Nidhi conspired to murder Vinod. They first staged the accident in October using a Punjab-registered loading pickup truck driven by Dev Sunar, who was promised Rs 10 lakh and other expenses for executing the murder.
When the accident failed to kill Vinod, a more direct approach was planned. Sunar, after being bailed out, was equipped with an illegal weapon and instructed to seek forgiveness as a ruse to gain entry into Vinod’s house. On December 15, 2021, Sunar carried out the shooting as planned.
Arrests and Judicial Custody
Sumit was arrested on June 7, following his confession. Both Sumit and Nidhi were presented in court on Saturday and have since been remanded to judicial custody. The case has now shed light on the elaborate and cold-blooded conspiracy behind Vinod Barada’s tragic death.
Reactions and Further Actions
The police official in charge has assured a thorough continuation of the investigation to ensure all involved parties face justice. The case highlights the lengths to which personal vendettas can spiral into calculated and heinous acts of violence.
The family of the deceased and the community await further developments as the legal proceedings continue against Nidhi, Sumit, and their accomplice, Dev Sunar.
