In a shocking case of familial betrayal and cold-blooded murder, the Ghaziabad police have uncovered that a serving Uttar Pradesh police constable and a man with a dark past as a juvenile offender were the hitmen who assassinated a retired Indian Air Force officer. The alleged masterminds? The victim's own sons.
A Grisly Plot Over Property and Money
The victim, Yogesh Kumar, a retired Assistant Warrant Officer who had only hung up his uniform on July 31 last year, was ambushed and shot just 50 metres from his house in Ashok Vihar, Loni, on December 26. The investigation has revealed a bitter family dispute over Kumar's "hefty savings" and the family home as the primary motive.
According to Senior Police Officer Siddharth Gautam, Kumar's sons, Nitesh and Guddu, were worried their father would spend his savings and were enraged by his decision to sell the house. "Kumar had asked both his sons to vacate the house. The latest flashpoint was Kumar’s decision to sell," stated Gautam. This friction allegedly pushed them to orchestrate a murder contract.
The Killers: A Rogue Cop and a Notorious Name
Police have identified the shooters as Naveen Kumar, a constable posted in Kaushambi district who has been on unauthorised leave since August 2025, and his 32-year-old accomplice from Bulandshahr. The Bulandshahr man carries a chilling history; he was convicted as a juvenile for the horrific 2008 Barari massacre, where his uncle's family, including a pregnant aunt and a two-year-old cousin, was wiped out. His father, the main accused, was sentenced to death in 2016.
Now living in Ghaziabad as Kumar's neighbour, the accused allegedly agreed to the contract for Rs 5 lakh and due to a personal grudge. "He needed little convincing because he had his own run-ins with Kumar, including over feeding stray dogs in the area, and nursed a grudge," explained ACP Gautam. Kumar had objected to the accused feeding milk and bread to strays.
How the Murder Was Executed and Unraveled
The chilling plan was finalized on the terrace of Kumar's own house. On the fateful day, the assailants, with faces masked, arrived on a Hero Xtreme motorcycle. "The accused hit Kumar with an iron rod. When Kumar fell to the ground, Naveen shot him in the head first. The accused fired a second bullet," detailed the ACP.
Despite the killers removing the bike's number plate, police traced the vehicle through CCTV footage and local inquiries. The bike's owner revealed he had lent it to the accused "to go shopping." The Bulandshahr man was subsequently arrested from his house, where he lives with his wife and two young children. He had not fled, perhaps to avoid suspicion.
Meanwhile, the main conspirators—constable Naveen Kumar and the victim's sons Nitesh and Guddu—are currently absconding. An FIR under murder charges and the Arms Act has been registered at Loni police station as the hunt for them intensifies.
The case has sent ripples through the community, exposing a deep-rooted family conflict that turned deadly, involving a protector of the law and a man given a second chance at life, both now accused of a brutal killing.
