India8217;s Most Wanted lends a helping hand

DEHRA DUN, NOV 29: The television serial, India's Most Wanted, which features hardened criminals and their crimes, was again able to help...

DEHRA DUN, NOV 29: The television serial, India8217;s Most Wanted, which features hardened criminals and their crimes, was again able to help nab the alleged murderer of a senior retired Army officer and his family member after five years.

The alleged murderer was arrested by the Dehra Dun police from Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and was brought here today. Isreal alias Raja alias Om Parkash was identified by some neighbours after they watched the television serial which showed the heinous crime allegedly committed by him.

On November 15, 1994, Brigadier Shyam Lal Khanna retd, his son Sarit and his sister-in-law Visna Mathur were killed by Isreal, who used to work as a servant with the family. Rama Khanna, wife of the deceased officer, escaped since she had shut herself in the bathroom and kept screaming.

After committing the crime, the domestic help reportedly escaped. All efforts by the Dehra Dun police to catch him proved futile for five years till the television serial featured the crime and a photographof the alleged criminal last month.

After the telecast of the programme, the local police received information that the suspected person was staying in Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. Police teams were rushed to West Bengal, which brought three suspects one after the another. But all the three were found to be innocent and were later released.

When the police team finally decided to call off the chase in West Bengal, information reached them that the real suspect was living with his family in Maria Basti in Jalpaiguri.

He was nabbed from his home. Isreal confessed that he had committed the murders with the help of another domestic help, Rameshwar, who worked as a chowkidar in the neighbourhood.

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According to Mohd Javed Akhtar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Dehra Dun, the accused has confessed to the crime and even recalled every detail of his act. Isreal told his interrogators that he had committed the murders on the instigation of Rameshwar and also to gather money to marry his girlfriend.

Initially, both the accused had planned to steal a video cassette recorder VCR from the house but when Visna Mathur saw them, they killed her with Brig Khanna8217;s sword. They then attacked the Sarit Mathur who was sleeping in his room and killed him with a stone. Brig Khanna was attacked by a spear and then suffocated to death. On hearing the commotion, Brig Khanna8217;s wife locked herself in the bathroom and kept screaming. The duo tried to kill her but could not succeed in breaking open the door of the bathroom.

After committing the murders, both panicked and fled without stealing anything from the house. Isreal fled to West Bengal and started living with his family.

The triple-murder case had evoked lot of interest as police was unable to nab the killers.