The Madhya Pradesh Police is searching for a man who allegedly faked his death to claim insurance money totalling Rs 20 lakh, reported The Indian Express on Tuesday.
Himmat Patidar, who is believed to be a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh activist, allegedly killed a farm labourer last week and burned his face to pass off the body as his own in order to mislead the police.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party had accused the Congress government in the state of deteriorating law and order after it was first reported that Patidar had been murdered. The Congress responded, saying BJP workers were taking law into their hands.
According to the police, a body was found on January 23 near Patidar’s field in Kamed village of Ratlam. Patidar’s family members told police that he had left the house the previous night to switch on a pump to water his fields and had not returned home, reported Hindustan Times.
Ratlam Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari said during the investigation it was found that Madan Malviya, who used to work on Patidar’s farm, was also missing. “We also noticed that the physical build of the corpse resembled Malviya,” PTI quoted Tiwari as saying.
Tiwari said police had initially suspected Malviya had killed Patidar, but they grew suspicious after finding a diary near the body which contained details like Patidar’s insurance number, fixed deposits, bank PIN numbers. Police also found a mobile phone next to the body, but the call data had been erased.
“This prompted us to order DNA test of the victim,” Tiwari said adding that the test revealed that the body was that of Malviya’s and not Patidar’s.
Ratlam Additional Superintendent of Police Pradip Sharma said Patidar had initially tried to sever Malviya’s head. When he could not, Patidar burned Malviya’s face and planted his mobile phone, Aadhaar card, and a diary near Malviya’s body, Sharma said.
Home Minister Bala Bachchan said the Bharatiya Janata Party was “unable to digest the regime change” in the state after the party accused the Congress government of deteriorating security.
Bachchan on Monday asked if former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would visit the house of Malviya, a Dalit. “The BJP’s original character has come to light,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying. “Himmat Patidar has turned out to be killer. BJP workers are taking the law into their hands but the party is passing the blame to us.”
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