THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, June 16: In a bizarre murder case from Jharkhand’s Palamu district, a man allegedly lost his life after a seemingly trivial act — gargling with a cold drink during a drinking session with friends.
Police have arrested one accused and launched a manhunt for two others in connection with the killing, which took place under the jurisdiction of Pandu Police Station in May.
SIT Cracks Murder Case
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by Bishrampur SDPO Chiranjeev Mandal, cracked the case on Monday using a combination of human intelligence and technical evidence.
One of the three accused friends of the deceased, Umesh Singh (38), has been arrested and sent to jail under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), SDPO Mandal said.
The two remaining accused, identified as Vikas and Abhishek, are absconding, and police teams are conducting raids to apprehend them.
Body Recovered on May 9
According to the SDPO, Pandu Police recovered an unidentified body from Belhara on May 9.
Since the deceased could not initially be identified, Assistant Sub-Inspector Prem Kumar Ranjan Singh lodged a murder case against unknown persons under Section 103 of the BNS on the same day.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the victim was Vishal Yadav, a resident of the Chhaterpur area in Palamu district.
Drinking Party Turns Fatal
Police investigations found that Yadav was drinking with three friends — Umesh, Vikas and Abhishek — at Belhara on May 9.
During the gathering, Yadav allegedly used a cold drink to gargle and clear his throat.
“It offended his three friends immensely,” SDPO Mandal said.
All four men were reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time.
According to police, the argument escalated rapidly, and the three accused allegedly attacked Yadav with stones.
“They stoned him to death. His head was smashed during the assault,” Mandal said.
Arrested Accused Reveals Sequence of Events
When asked whether such a minor incident could have triggered a murder, the SDPO said the arrested accused had disclosed the details during interrogation.
“Umesh has spilled all the beans. It is he who narrated the entire sequence leading to the fatal stoning of Vishal Yadav,” Mandal said.
Police said all four men were known to one another and belonged to Palamu district.
Previous Grudge May Have Contributed
Investigators suspect that the cold drink incident may not have been the only reason behind the crime.
Police believe Yadav and accused Vikas may have had a long-standing dispute, which could have aggravated tensions during the drinking session and contributed to the fatal assault.
Authorities also confirmed that arrested accused Umesh Singh has two criminal cases registered against him at Pandu Police Station.
Unusual Motive Shocks Investigators
Police described the case as highly unusual, noting that most murder cases are linked to money, property disputes or longstanding enmity.
In this case, however, investigators say a seemingly insignificant act involving a cold drink allegedly sparked a chain of events that ended in a brutal killing.
The search for the two absconding accused is continuing.
