Under the scorching sun, more than 50 villagers stand next to a borewell in Meerut’s Rohta village. (Representational Image)
Under the scorching sun, more than 50 villagers stand next to a borewell in Meerut’s Rohta village. The borewell, nine inches in diameter, is crucial in the investigation into the murder of 20-year-old and is drawing people daily.
According to police, Rupak’s body was chopped into pieces and dumped in this borewell. After a week of digging by the police and administration, the mutilated body is yet to be recovered.
On June 25, Rupak left his home in Meerut’s Cantt area around 7.50 pm, saying that he is going out with some friends. It is alleged that he was murdered shortly after in another village.
Police have arrested five people in this connection. “Accused Vikas, Amardeep, Manish, Monu and Vishal have been arrested. During questioning, they confessed that Vikas had an enmity with Rupak and they shot him at Jataula village and buried him in the field. When Amardeep was arrested, Vikas feared about the body being discovered. So he and an accomplice cut it into six pieces and dumped it in the borewell. We are still trying to recover it,” said SP (City) Akhilesh Singh.
For the past one week, at least four policemen, people from the administration and two earthmovers have been parked at a farm near the entrance of the village. According to local residents, the policemen have been digging for 3-4 hours daily. The borewell is around 200 ft deep and they have so far dug up to nearly 50 ft. Pieces of flesh and hair, allegedly belonging to Rupak, have been recovered.
Everyday more than 100 people turn up at the spot. Among them are members of Rupak’s family who reach there daily and stare at the borewell in horror.
“Nine inches is nothing. And he was a well-built boy. They must have cut him brutally to fit his body in the pipe. We cannot even imagine what his last moments must have been like,” said his close relative Siri Chand.
Police have written to NDRF, seeking equipment to dig the submersible pipeline. The help of the SDRF was also sought but they did not have equipment to dig beyond 50 ft, police said.