Uttar Pradesh police have revealed that the sons of a retired Indian Air Force officer orchestrated his murder amid a property dispute. Yogesh Kumar was shot dead on December 26 in Ghaziabad. One contract killer has been arrested, while the sons and another suspect remain at large.
On December 26, a shocking murder took place near Ashok Vihar in Ghaziabad's Loni area, where 58-year-old retired Indian Air Force officer Yogesh Kumar was shot by two unidentified men on a bike. Kumar, a resident of Baghpat, was walking toward the Delhi-Saharanpur road around 12:40 pm while on a phone call. The assailants pointed a gun at him and fired a shot to the head, leaving him critically injured; he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
The Uttar Pradesh police investigation has revealed that the murder was orchestrated by Kumar's own sons, driven by greed for his property. The officer had been pressuring his sons to vacate his house, prompting them to hire a neighbor, Arvind, as a contract killer. Arvind carried out the shooting with the help of his brother-in-law, Naveen, a constable posted in Kaushambi district.
Arvind was arrested on Wednesday evening and produced before the chief judicial magistrate's court in Ghaziabad on Thursday, where he was remanded to 14 days' judicial custody. From his possession, police recovered a .315 bore country-made pistol, two live cartridges, and spent cartridges. Naveen and the two sons are currently absconding, with police teams actively pursuing them.
A .315 calibre live cartridge was found at the crime scene. CCTV footage showed that Kumar knew the bikers and attempted to flee. Following a complaint, police registered an FIR and formed multiple teams to review more CCTV and scan escape routes. According to PTI, citing police, the sons planned the murder out of property greed. This incident highlights the dark side of familial disputes turning violent.
