LIFE IMPRISONMENT TO FIVE IN ADVOCATE MURDER CASE

LIFE IMPRISONMENT TO FIVE IN ADVOCATE MURDER CASE

15-JULY-ENG 34

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------In the famous jewelery businessman cum advocate Dr. Hari Ji Gupta murder case of Ara city, second additional district and sessions judge Sudhakar Pandey of Ara civil court sentenced five accused to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a financial penalty on all the accused. Additional Public Prosecutor Selection Grade Prosecution Service officer Manik Kumar Singh said that on 2 November 22, advocate Dr. Hari Ji Gupta was brutally kidnapped and murdered. Three days after the incident, on 5 November 22, his body was recovered from a water-filled pit near an under-construction culvert near Ranisagar village of Shahpur police station area on Patna-Buxar fourlane.

The incident took place when he went to collect the fare from the market located at Baluwahia on Ara-Patna bypass road. In this case, an FIR was lodged against five people for kidnapping and murder. In this case, 13 people including FSL team, doctor testified on behalf of the prosecution. While two people testified from the defense side. In this case, on July 7, 2025, the court of Second Additional District and Sessions Judge Sudhakar Pandey convicted five accused. In this episode, while hearing on the point of punishment today, the Second Additional District and Sessions Judge sentenced the accused Amar Kumar, Ritesh Mahato, Ranjan Yadav, Raju Kumar alias Raju Yadav and Ranjan Yadav alias Ranjan Kumar alias Bauwa to life imprisonment. The Additional Public Prosecutor said that connecting all the links in the murder case, the five accused were sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 each, 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 each in the case of kidnapping and murder and 5 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 each in the case of hiding evidence by making the body disappear. All the punishments will run simultaneously.

Advocate cum big businessman Dr. Hari Ji Gupta, resident of Mahajan Toli No. 1 of Nagar police station area of ​​Ara city, was kidnapped and murdered about two and a half years ago in a rent dispute. On the evening of 2 November 2022, the body of the kidnapped businessman from the market located at Baluwahia on Bypass Road of Nagar police station area was recovered three days later from under a bridge on Ara-Buxar fourlane near Kanhauli of Shahpur police station area. The body was tied in a sack and buried in water under a stone.

70-year-old Dr. Hari Ji Gupta was a big businessman along with being a lawyer. His son Uday Prakash Gupta is also a big businessman of Patna. He has five jewellery shops in Ara and Patna. In such a situation, the news of his kidnapping and later murder created a sensation in the whole city. There was a lot of uproar about it. Seeing the situation, Shahabad Range DIG Kshatranil Singh also reached Ara.

It was told that on the evening of 2nd, advocate Dr. Hari Ji Gupta went to Baluwahia Market on Ara-Patna Bypass Road on his bike to get the rent. After this, he went missing. During the search, his bike was recovered from near the market on 3rd. Regarding this, an FIR was lodged by his son Uday Prakash Gupta in Town Police Station on 3rd November against five people including Amar Kumar, resident of Roja Mohalla, accusing them of kidnapping his father and killing him and throwing away the body. In it, Amar was said to always quarrel over the rent.

After the kidnapping of advocate cum businessman Hari Ji Gupta, the police had a big challenge regarding his recovery. Regarding this, SIT was formed under the leadership of IPS officer Himanshu, who was ASP, by the then SP Sanjay Kumar Singh. The team kept searching for him continuously for three days. In the meantime, he was murdered by the criminals. Despite the police's continuous raids based on technical investigation, he could not be recovered safely. However, after the murder, the police was successful in recovering his body through GPS and Gamchha. The role of the then DIU team was very important in this.

It is being told that after the kidnapping of the businessman, different teams were formed under the leadership of ASP Himanshu by the then SP Sanjay Kumar Singh. Since the incident, the team under the leadership of the then DIU in-charge Shambhu Kumar Bhagat was engaged in the search of the kidnappers through mobile surveillance. In this sequence, the team was tracing the GPS of the mobile of a kidnapper and the car used in the kidnapping. During the same time, Ranisagar police was getting some clues on the Ara-Buxar four lane. On that basis, the DIU team started searching near the culvert on Saturday. Then some foul smell was found there, which increased the team's suspicion. When the team searched deeply, a yellow colored towel was found. In the investigation, that towel turned out to be of Amar Kumar, the main accused in the businessman kidnapping. Then the police's suspicion turned into certainty and a search was started in the drain below the culvert. In that sequence, the body was recovered from a sack buried under a stone.

Jewellery businessman Hariji Gupta was kidnapped and killed in a rent dispute. Before kidnapping, the businessman's bike was hit by a car. After that, he was injured by hitting with a rod. This was revealed by the arrested Ritesh during police interrogation.

It is being told that businessman Hariji Gupta was having a rent dispute with Amar Kumar. On Wednesday evening, he had reached his market to collect the rent. At that time Amar had a dispute with him that day too. After that Amar Kumar hit his bike with a four wheeler. He fell down, after which Amar injured him by hitting him on the head with a rod. Then he called his four friends and loaded the businessman in the car and fled towards Bihiya.

After beating the businessman, Amar Kumar called his four friends. Two auto drivers and a compounder were also included in it. After that all of them loaded the injured businessman in the car and left on the four lane. On the way, the petrol in their car ran out of petrol. Then they took petrol from a pump in Gajrajganj area near the city and left for Bihiya. It was told that the CCTV footage of the petrol pump captured the pictures of all of them.

After the kidnapping of city businessman and lawyer Dr. Hari ji Gupta, a four-way operation was launched by the police for his recovery. A blockade was done from Bhojpur to UP. Meanwhile, the car used in his kidnapping was seized from Station Road in Buxar. Ritesh Kumar, a close associate of the main accused Amar, was also arrested. Other people were also taken into custody and were being questioned. After that, Amar Kumar's house was also duly confiscated. After that, Amar Kumar surrendered in the court on 12 November.