In a significant breakthrough, the Vikasnagar police in Lucknow announced on Sunday that they have successfully cracked a brutal and seemingly motiveless murder case. The victim, a 40-year-old street vendor, was allegedly bludgeoned to death by three men over a financial dispute involving approximately Rs 10,000.
Gruesome Details of the Crime Emerge
The horrifying incident first came to light on December 30 last year. Police received an alert via Dial 112 about an unconscious and bleeding man near the Vikasnagar crossing. The injured individual was immediately rushed to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where doctors, unfortunately, declared him dead upon arrival.
A subsequent post-mortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was severe head injuries resulting from blunt force trauma. The deceased was identified as Lalaram (40), a vendor from Sitapur district who sold lai-chana (puffed rice and chickpeas) and often slept beside his cart at the same spot.
Based on a formal complaint lodged by his wife, Kiran Devi, the police registered a case against unknown persons and launched an intensive investigation.
Meticulous Investigation Leads to Arrests
Leading the probe, SHO Alok Kumar Singh of Vikasnagar police station undertook a massive technical sweep. His team meticulously scanned footage from an astonishing 1,289 CCTV cameras across various routes and locations in the area.
By combining this technical evidence with ground-level intelligence, the police were able to identify the suspects. On Sunday, they arrested all three accused involved in the heinous crime.
According to police, the primary accused, Sonu (28), along with his aides Dhanraj (19) and Rahul alias Shiva (25), had a prior monetary dispute with Lalaram. The amount in question was estimated to be around Rs 10,000.
Premeditated Attack on a Sleeping Victim
Police revealed that the trio, nursing a grudge, had conducted a reconnaissance of the spot where the vendor slept. Waiting for a deserted moment late at night, they attacked Lalaram while he was asleep.
In a particularly brutal assault, Sonu allegedly smashed the victim's skull with a brick about ten times, while the others assisted. After ensuring the vendor was dead, the accused allegedly looted Rs 7,240 from his pocket before fleeing the scene.
The arrests bring a measure of closure to a shocking case of street violence, highlighting both the vulnerability of night-time street vendors and the determined efforts of the Lucknow police in using technology to solve a blind murder.
