A college student was murdered by his friends after an alleged dispute at a party in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha, and his body was discovered in a pit, according to Greater Noida Police.
One person, namely Rachit has been arrested, and teams investigating the case are searching for the other suspects.
The victim was identified as Yash Mittal, a first-year BBA student at a prestigious university in Greater Noida and a resident of Amroha. After Yash was not found on the university campus on Tuesday, February 27, his father, Pradeep Mittal, reported him missing to the Greater Noida Police.
Police formed multiple teams and began probing the situation. In this context, a surveillance operation launched on Wednesday (February 28) in the Gajraula district assisted police in apprehending one of the suspects. Later, an encounter broke out near the Dadha area between police and three other accused, who were later identified as Shubham, Sushant and Sumit. All of them were shot in the legs and have been conveyed to the hospital for treatment.
Following the encounter, police recovered three illegal firearms, numerous spent and live rounds, and a motorcycle from the suspects.
During interrogation, Rachit informed police that Yash was invited to a party in Amroha on February 26. On the same day, the victim, Rachit, and the three guys involved in the confrontation traveled to a forest in the Tigriya region of Amroha, where Yash had a disagreement with others. The four men then strangled Yash and buried his body in a pit about six feet deep.
Rachit went on to say that following the murder, the four accused used the victim's phone to send an abduction message to Yash's family, demanding a Rs 6 crore ransom in order to deceive the authorities.
Dadri Police Station and SWAT squad recovered Yash Mittal's body from the pit in the presence of his family members. Post-mortem proceedings are being conducted by the Gajraula Police.
Greater Noida DCP Saad Mian Khan stated that during the inquiry into Pradeep Mittal's missing person case, it was discovered that Yash had befriended the four accused who live in Gajraula. The victim became acquaintances with the four males in November of last year, and they used to party frequently.
He went on to say that on February 26, the four guys invited Yash to a party at Rachit Farmhouse in Gajraula, where everyone drank. Later, Yash argued with the four men, and they all strangled him. Rachit furnished the police with information that led to the recovery of Yash Mittal's body.
Police said Shubham Chaudhary, another accused in the case, is now on the run and that efforts are underway to apprehend him.
