Gaya/Bhagalpur, March 28: The investigation into the murder of Jharkhand homemaker Suman Barnawal took a new turn today with her brother accusing her husband of an illicit relationship which may have led to the killing.
Rajesh Barnawal, the brother of Suman, has accused his brother-in-law Naresh Barnawal of having a relationship with his (Rajesh’s) cousin and this may have been a reason for the murder, Gaya city superintendent of police Babu Ram said.
Rajesh, however, did not lodge any written complaint but made a verbal statement before Ram. A police team from Lakhisarai is expected to question him tomorrow.
Suman was murdered by road robbers on the night of March 25 while she was on her way to Jamui with her husband and other relatives after a visit to Rajgir. Naresh, an insurance agent, stays in Amlabad locality of Jharia in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand.
Lakshman Prasad Barnawal, the elder brother of Naresh, refuted the allegations. “How can he (Rajesh) level such charges when he himself was accompanying my brother Naresh and Suman during the fateful journey,” Lakshman said. “Everything was quite orderly in the marital life of my brother before the incident. How come such a conspiracy theory has cropped up suddenly?”
The couple have a three-year-old son, Prem, who has started school this year.
Police, meanwhile, continued their manhunt for the killers of Suman.
A.K. Ambedkar, inspector-general, Bhagalpur range, who visited the place where the goons first intercepted the vehicle of the Barnawal family (near Matashi More on the Sheikhpura-Sikendra-Jamui road) as well as the site where the criminals killed Suman, some four kilometres away towards Srikhandi village. “The names of four persons have so far come up during police investigation while the rest are still not confirmed. On the basis of some articles found from the spot, we came to the conclusion that only two persons were involved in dragging out Suman from the vehicle. They disappeared with her from the spot while the others were busy looting the Barnawals,” the officer said. The criminals are said to number more than six.
