UP: Forensic tests to be done on prime accused in Phaphamau killings

PRAYAGRAJ: As the 23-year-old uneducated youth Pawan Kumar Saroj, arrested by the joint team of Phaphamau police and Special Operations Group (SOG) on Sunday in connection with the killing of a couple and their two children in Phaphamau, has not been forthcoming during interrogation, the police have decided to have his DNA profiling done and sent his shirt having blood stains for forensic test.
Police said that the accused was not only sending messages on the mobile of the murdered girl for long, but was also harassing her mentally. “It was circumstantial evidence and the last messages delivered on the slain girl’s mobile that helped us zero in on Pawan Kumar Saroj,” said a senior cop associated with the investigations. He has been detained on the charge of killing the four members of the family in the trans-Ganga village. The bodies were found on the morning of November 25.
He added that the accused was not cooperating in the investigation and also tried to mislead the police several times by drafting false stories over the incident.
Cops have also noticed some injury marks on his body during the medical examination and are now compiling evidence to nab three to four more persons who might have assisted the prime accused in eliminating the family members on the fateful night.
The accused kept on changing the names of his accomplices despite the fact some of his close relatives have escaped from their respective villages ever since police nabbed Pawan from his Tharwai village.
The police are relying on call details and DNA profiling to nab the other accused.
Police also made it clear that the persons who were named in the FIR by the kin of the deceased had nothing to do with the killings as per the investigations done so far. These persons against whom FIR was lodged by the kin of the deceased had a dispute with the brother of the deceased man.
The prime accused even refused to have any link with the deceased girl and also denied sending even a single message to her. But when police showed his messages sent on the girl — name saved as ‘Gori Man’ — on mobile, the accused had no answer.
Police investigations also claimed that the deceased girl was raped by one person as per forensic evidence and medical reports.
Additional DG (Prayagraj zone) Prem Prakash said, “After scanning the WhatsApp chat of the accused made with the slain girl on November 21 evening and detailed investigation, police identified him as Pawan Kumar Saroj, a resident of Tharwai, who was sending messages to the slain girl on her mobile.”
Police said Pawan has admitted that he had been chasing the girl for a long time but she was constantly ignoring him. After being irked over her behaviour, he claimed to have executed the crime. “Pawan was a jilted lover and wanted to teach a lesson to the girl,” police added.
Earlier, a case was lodged against 11 persons under sections 147, 148, 149, 302, 376 (D) and 3/4 of POCSO Act and SC/ST Act regarding the incident.
The killings became a major issue as political leaders of various parties, including Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Samajwadi Party attacked the government over the law and order condition in the state.