The wife and two neighbours of a 53-year-old murder convict, who was shot dead in his sleep in his house at Kairi village of Uttar Pradesh's Banda district on August 23 night, have been arrested in connection with the crime, police said. The convict, Balkaran Patel, walked out of jail a few months back after the state government ordered his premature release, it is learnt. Those arrested were identified as Balkaran’s wife Santoshia Devi and neighbours Raj Kumar Patel, the younger brother of the person in whose murder case Balkaran was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Ram Naresh Patel. Soon after his release from jail, Balkaran used to harass Santoshia for allegedly having a relationship with Raj Kumar, the police said. “The assailants killed Balkaran in a planned manner and then put his body in the courtyard to make it appear like some outsider entered the house to kill him,” Banda Circle Officer Rakesh Kumar Singh said. Ram Naresh decided to help Raj Kumar and Santoshia since Balkaran allegedly thrashed him over a trivial issue recently, the police said. The police are now looking for Raj Kumar’s nephew Rajesh Patel, who they claim also played a role in the killing. Balkaran was awarded life imprisonment in the murder of Raj Kumar’s elder brother Raja Ram Patel, who was shot dead near his house in 2005 over a land dispute. Balkaran is survived by a 25-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old son. On August 24 morning, the police rushed to Kairi village after getting information about Balkaran's death. The deceased's wife told the police that some unidentified persons entered their house the previous night and shot Balkaran dead. She also claimed that the assailants also shouted at Balkaran for making remarks about their wives.
