‘Not a single hair singed’: How man’s ‘miraculous’ escape in car crash exposed chilling murder plot

“If a car catches fire and I’m inside, I’ll try to save my wife and son,” the officer surmised. “And I would have sustained some injury on my hands or legs, or my clothes would have got burnt…”

“I asked the husband, ‘did you not try to save them?’ He did not say anything and just stood at the spot,” said the officer.

This peculiarity occupied the officer’s mind long after he returned from the spot.

Two months later, he had his answer.

Daan Singh, police said, orchestrated the murder of his wife and child, staging it to look like an accident. On April 6, police arrested him and three of his accomplices — Noor Hasan (42) Salman (26), Pradeep (32). Ravi was caught on April 19 after a tip-off.

The motive, police said, was money.

Officers said the accused was allegedly eyeing the hefty departmental compensation Lata’s family was entitled to in the event of her death, apart from other service benefits and insurance claims — he had done the math and found it amounted to Rs 2.5-3 crore.

Police said another disturbing detail emerged when they grilled Daan Singh. Lata was his second wife — his first wife had also died in a road accident and he had claimed the insurance money. Police said they are now looking into the circumstances behind the first wife’s death.

“The accused, who ran a business renting cars and trucks, had plans to marry a third time!” an officer exclaimed.

Making of a murder

Lata’s murder had been planned well in advance, said police. Daan Singh asked his wife to apply for 15-day leave, saying he planned a holiday in their newly purchased car. Ravi was to accompany them.

Around February 18, the family drove to Mathura. Their next stop was Delhi and the final destination was Nainital.

On the way back from the hill station on February 25, a police officer said, Daan Singh and Ravi took a rather unusual and long route home via Khod, a village in Rampur district, which sees constant movement of heavy vehicles at night.

“They made a pit stop at a dhaba where the accused gave Lata and his child soft drinks laced with sedatives,” the officer said. “And they resumed their journey.”

Soon, mother and son lost consciousness and the accused set their nefarious plan into motion.

Around 9.45 pm, police said, Daan Singh and his brother stopped the vehicle by the side of the road, doused it with petrol over it — and set it ablaze.

Lata, however, regained consciousness as soon as the flames touched her body and tried to escape. But police said Ravi allegedly pushed her back inside the burning car.

Spotting the flames, police said villagers living nearby rushed to help: they pulled Lata out and laid her down in a puddle of water in a nearby field until an ambulance arrived. The child, however, had been charred to death.

Police said the accused, however, had anticipated this. Earlier, at the dhaba, they had allegedly called three associates — Noor Hasan, Pradeep, and Salman — to bring another car.

“Not waiting for the ambulance, they placed Lata in the car and drove away. There were two hospitals nearby, which they ignored, and kept driving till a hospital on the outskirts of Moradabad — 4 km away,” said a police officer.

En route, police said, the accused allegedly hit Lata with a hammer that was kept in the car to ensure she was dead.

From the outset, police said, they found inconsistencies.

Apart from the husband sporting zero injuries, CCTV footage also revealed that the vehicle had taken an unnecessarily long route. Police repeatedly summoned Daan for questioning, while Ravi initially remained untraceable.

“Daan Singh would say the family was still in mourning and that he cannot step out of the house. This only added to our misgivings. When he finally did come in for questioning, he kept giving different answers — before finally admitting to the crime,” said the officer.

Police said Lata and Daan Singh were in love and got married in 2022. She hailed from Sitapur, he was from Rampur. They lived in Shravasti, where Lata was posted. She had joined the police force in 2019. She was the middle child among three sisters. Her siblings are also in the police force.

At the time of her death, she was working with the 1090 helpline, a police redressal call centre set-up to resolve cases of harassment against women.

All the accused are currently in judicial custody.

When asked why he killed his own son, police said Daan Singh allegedly responded that had the child survived, the compensation would have been shared — reducing his cut.