In a shocking crime that has rattled Panipat, a former state-level weightlifting champion stands accused of the brutal murder of his own mother and two siblings. The accused, Yashbir, allegedly drugged and strangled his family members, presenting a narrative of financial desperation that his relatives have vehemently rejected.
A Champion's Fall and a Family's Tragedy
Yashbir, once a promising athlete on the cusp of national-level competition, saw his sports career end due to a hand injury. This week, he was arrested for the alleged premeditated killing of his 46-year-old mother Kavita, 24-year-old sister Meghna, and 14-year-old brother Mukul. Police reports state that he first administered a sedative mixed with religious offering prasad to the victims before strangling them.
While Yashbir has reportedly claimed to investigators that extreme financial pressure drove him to commit the act, his family has dismissed this explanation as baseless. His father, Dharambir, in an emotional statement, pointed to the family's considerable assets to counter the claim of monetary distress.
Wealth and Transactions: Unraveling the Financial Narrative
The family, originally from Panipat, owns agricultural land and heavy machinery like JCBs and tractors. Their financial history reveals several high-value transactions:
- In 2019, land worth Rs 50-60 lakh was sold to fund Yashbir's own wedding.
- Another plot was later sold for approximately Rs 50 lakh when young Mukul was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
- Most recently, a house was sold in November for about Rs 60 lakh, with the proceeds intended to purchase a new home in Delhi's Laxmi Nagar area.
Dharambir, who works abroad, stated, "My salary arrives on the 10th of every month, and like clockwork, I send money home. I had sent Rs 4,000 just two days earlier." He emphasized that the family had enough resources to live comfortably on interest and loan installments from money they had lent to others.
A Life of Promise and a Marriage Under Scrutiny
Dharambir remembered his son as a bright teenager who took up weightlifting at 15 and was nearing national fame before his injury. "We believed his athletic merit would secure him a government job in Railways. But after the injury, he struggled to lift even basic objects," he recalled. Yashbir then turned to private security work, where he met and married Soni. Though Dharambir initially opposed the union, he eventually accepted it.
Intriguingly, relatives have urged police to include Yashbir's wife in the investigation. Notably, Yashbir had sent her to her parents' home in Faridabad just one day before the murders. Dharambir revealed that he had spoken to his wife Kavita a day before the crime and everything seemed normal, with plans to buy a house and a family New Year celebration still fresh in memory.
Police also disclosed that Yashbir claimed to have made several suicide attempts in the past two months, including staging accidents and falsely reporting a snake bite. His father acknowledged a recent car accident near the Karnal bypass where Yashbir suffered back burns but said the family was unaware it was a purported suicide attempt.
The tragedy has cut short bright futures. Meghna was weeks away from completing a laboratory apprenticeship at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and was set to be married this year. Mukul, who shared a close bond with his brother, was only 14. The investigation continues as the family and community grapple with the horrifying loss.
