Overview
- Locals found the charred body of 32-year-old auto-rickshaw driver Naveen Kumar in a burnt e-rickshaw in Loni’s Agraula on January 14.
- Police arrested Pawan Pal, 25, and Sagar Pandit, 24, while a third suspect, Mohammad Naseem, remains absconding with a search under way.
- Investigators say the men, who were friends, assaulted Naveen with a gas cylinder after discussions about a tantric-promised ritual to gain wealth.
- Officers used the vehicle’s chassis number and nearby CCTV to identify the suspects and recovered the e-rickshaw and the gas cylinder.
- An FIR for murder and destruction of evidence was registered on January 16, and police say the tantric has no role in the killing or the burning of the vehicle.