A contractor, driven by greed, allegedly plotted the killing of his own family, burning his three-year-old son alive and bludgeoning his constable wife to death, to claim insurance and service benefits worth nearly Rs 2 crore.

A contractor, driven by greed, allegedly plotted the killing of his own family, burning his three-year-old son alive and bludgeoning his constable wife to death, to claim insurance and service benefits worth nearly Rs 2 crore in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur. The accused, Dan Singh, initially faked accident, claiming their car caught fire after hitting a dumper.

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Rampur SP Somendra Meena said that police discovered that Dan Singh had spiked his wife Lata Singh's drink with sedatives before driving to a secluded spot. "He, along with his accomplices, then doused the vehicle with petrol and set it ablaze. While son Avansh burned to death, the woman constable somehow managed to come out of the burning car. They then forced her into another vehicle and battered her to death with a hammer."

Police revealed that the couple had recently returned from a trip to Nainital, accompanied by Dan’s relative Ravi Kumar. On their way back, Dan deliberately rammed the car into a truck in the Bajpur region near Rampur. Using the minor damage as a pretext, he halted the vehicle, brought beverages laced with sedatives, and ensured his wife and child fell unconscious.

Dan summoned his accomplices, Pradeep Kumar and Mohd Salman, who arrived with petrol, torched the car, and fled. As flames engulfed the vehicle, Dan and Ravi escaped. While the child succumbed to the fire, Lata, despite being semi-conscious, managed to crawl out.

Dan then called another associate, Noor Hasan, who arrived in a car. The group allegedly forced Lata inside and brutally hammered her to death.

Police have registered a case against five individuals, with three, including Dan, Noor, and Salman, already in custody. Investigators have recovered the murder weapon and the vehicles used in the crime.

Married to Lata in 2021, their relationship had reportedly deteriorated over time. "Lata was Dan's second wife. His first wife also died in mysterious circumstances, and we are looking into it," said superintendent of police Meena.