Stabbed brothers in self-defence, say Barolla twin murder accused

NOIDA: The father-son duo, arrested on Tuesday night for the murder of two brothers in Barolla village, has told cops that the killings were a spontaneous act in self-defence.

The accused claimed they had snatched the knife from the two brothers who had come to their house to kill them, and stabbed them in return.

The accused have been identified as Omkar (45) and his son Gulshan (20), residents of the same village.

They, along with their family members, had stabbed to death Umesh (22) and Yogesh (24) on Monday night, and their bodies were found in a drain next to the accused's house in Shyam Lal Colony.

The accused later fled from their house after the crime. Police launched a search and arrested them from near Hanuman Temple in Barolla village the following day.

The victims' family, however, alleged the accused dragged the two brothers inside their house and stabbed them to death. They also alleged that Gulshan's mother Pushpa and brother Jitendra were invol-ved in the murder and an FIR had been registered against all the four.

Police said the killings were due to personal rivalry. Arun Kumar Singh, SP (city) Noida, said the accused and the victims' houses are located in the vicinity. Investigation revealed that the origin of these murder could be a brawl that occurred three months ago.

Gulshan, during interrogation, said that three months ago he was sitting in a local park where Umesh, Yogesh and some other boys were playing cricket. "They hit the ball and it rolled towards me. They shouted at me to throw the ball back. I refused to do so upon which they thrashed me," Gulshan told cops, adding he returned home and informed his family members. The two families then came face to face but the situation did not escalate, although they had become foes.

"On Monday night, Gulshan said he was walking towards his house when the brothers bumped into him. He returned home and informed his family members," Singh said.

The accused claimed that Umesh, Yogesh and a group of people later barged into their house with a knife. "The accused alleged that the other group tried to attack them. In retaliation, they snatched the knife and stabbed Umesh in his neck," Singh said.

The attack was severe and the victim tried to leave the spot but collapsed in a drain outside. His brother Yogesh was also stabbed in his stomach and fatally wounded. The crowd dispersed following the stabbing.

Some locals rushed the victims to a private hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.

Police have registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy against all four accused. "The two accused were produced in a court on Wednesday and sent to judicial custody. The other accused are at large," said a police official. The sharp knife used in the crime has also been recovered.