45-year-old murder accused Firoz Ahmad killed a Hindu man having a physique similar to his, disfigured the body and left his identity card to make it look like his own death. The plan, however, went awry, when the police arrested the accused Firoz Ahmad of Kareha village after an encounter.
He sustained injuries in the shootout.
SP Prayagraj (trans Yamuna) Saurabh Dixit told reporters: “Firoz had executed his first crime at the age of 19. Since then he has been involved in many cases. He is fond of leading a lavish lifestyle, had just purchased a new scooty and spent substantial money on dresses. After being fed up with police raids, Firoz got clues from popular crime and thriller TV serials during his stay in Naini jail and hatched a conspiracy to get rid of people who loaned him Rs 4 lakh to pursue legal battle and police actions.”
After being bailed out about two months back in connection with a case, Firoz started looking for a man of same physique and came in contact with a youth from Buxar in Bihar.
Firoz managed to win the trust of Suraj Gupta, an electrician by profession, and assured him of help in securing a job. He advised him to stay in the city. Firoz then invited Gupta for drinks and dinner at a local eatery on October 17 near Mardapur village.
Along with his two aides, they strangled Gupta to death and also beheaded him. They chopped off deceased’s private parts and set the body afire to conceal the identity. Firoz also left his driving licence near the half-burnt body to make it look like his own death.
He thought that with Gupta’s death, the police would close all cases against him. Firoz had also included his wife Nazma in his plan and asked her to create a dramatic scene at the house once cops contacted her. Nazma duly acted like a bereaved wife when the cops contacted her.
The SP said that during investigations, the police found some contact numbers from the pocket of the body. When police contacted these numbers, they came to know that the deceased was Suraj Gupta of Bihar. Thereafter, Firoz was tracked down and arrested.
(With IANS inputs)
