Man arrested for Palamu para teacher’s murder

Daltonganj: A 40-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of a para teacher, Uday Singh, in Palamu district on the night of May 28, police said on Saturday.

Saurabh Choubey, officer-in-charge of Chhaterpur police station, said the accused was identified as Surender Yadav, also a para teacher posted at a nearby govt school. Yadav allegedly killed Singh with a sharp weapon after a dispute over repayment of a loan, Choubey said.

The body of Singh, 50, was found on the roadside late on Thursday. The deceased’s wife registered an FIR on Friday under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Following the FIR, a team led by sub-divisional police officer P Kumar used human and technical intelligence to zero in on Yadav.

“Six months ago, Yadav took a loan of Rs 25,000 from Singh. With accruing interest, the amount rose to Rs 50,000. As Singh repeatedly demanded repayment, it led to a bitter fallout,” Choubey said. An altercation between the duo two days before the murder further escalated tension. “Following the dispute, Yadav decided to kill Uday,” the OC added.

Singh was posted at a govt school in Chilho Khurd, while Yadav worked about 1.5 km away in Dendi. Both were friends before the financial dispute soured relations. Postmortem examination conducted at Medinirai Medical College and Hospital said Singh’s body had multiple wounds inflicted by a sharp weapon called ‘pharsa’. Police recovered the weapon, Singh’s mobile phone and the motorcycle used in the crime.