Brother-in-law among 2 arrested for Hazaribag businessman’s murder

Hazaribag: A 25-year-old man and his business associate was arrested for the murder of his brother-in-law over a personal feud, the police said on Wednesday. The accused was identified as Vikram Kumar, a resident of Naradiganj in Nawada district of Bihar and his associate Dilip Kumar, 25, a resident of Gaya district.Vicky Soni, a Hazaribag-based businessman, was fatally shot near Karso Bridge under Barhi police station limits on the night of June 8. “A special investigation team cracked the case with the help of technical evidence, mobile tracking and inputs from witnesses,” Barhi sub-divisional police officer Radha Prem Kishore said.Vicky, a resident of Okni mohalla in Hazaribag, had left home for a pilgrimage to Kedarnath. He had shared details of his journey, including travel tickets, on Facebook. “The accused used these to track his movements,” said Kishore.Meticulously planning the crime, Vikram travelled towards Chandrapura in Bokaro and kept posting selfies from railway stations to avoid suspicion. “After reaching there, he took a friend’s motorcycle and, along with Dilip, started tracking Vicky’s vehicle based on his social media updates,” he said.Near Karso Bridge, the tyre of Vicky’s vehicle got punctured. Seizing the opportunity, the duo allegedly shot him in the neck and fled towards Chandrapura. Vicky died on the spot.A crucial breakthrough came when one of the accused briefly switched on his mobile phone in the Barhi area to make an instalment payment, helping police trace his location. Later, Vicky’s friend Abhishek, who was travelling with him, identified the suspects from photographs.Police said Vikram was married to Vicky’s younger sister, and their relationship had turned bitter over time due to personal disputes. Investigators said the murder was the result of this strained relationship. Police further said Vikram and Dilip have cases of theft, robbery, attempt to murder, Arms Act violations and drug trafficking registered against them.