‘Land rivalry, Rs 4L contract and wedding link': How trader Ashok Kumar Sao, the ‘mastermind', plotted Patna bizman Gopal Khemka's murder
P
ATNA: In a major breakthrough, police on Tuesday arrested trader Ashok Kumar Sao, the alleged mastermind behind the sensational murder of prominent businessman Gopal Khemka.
The arrest followed the confession of the alleged shooter, Umesh Yadav, who claimed Sao contracted him to kill Khemka for Rs 4 lakh.
Sao was arersted from his flat under the Gandhi Maidan police station limits during a raid late on Monday night, shortly after police nabbed Umesh.
Investigators suspect that an old enmity between the two businessmen over land disputes led to the fatal conspiracy, though the exact cause of their conflict is yet to be fully established.
Officials said further analysis of Khemka's cellphone records and laptop would help reveal the complete picture.
Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Kartikeya K Sharma said the investigation began by tracing the motorcycle used in the crime, which led to Umesh's arrest. "During questioning, he confessed to the murder and disclosed that the weapon used in the crime was hidden in a locked room on the upper floor of his house.
A subsequent search led to the recovery of the firearm, along with 59 bullets and two magazines containing 14 rounds," the SSP told reporters.
Sharma added that Umesh had known Sao for about a year and a half, having met him at a wedding.
Since then, he had worked for the trader. "About six weeks ago, Sao plotted Khemka's murder and hired Umesh to arrange weapons. An advance of Rs 50,000 was paid and the balance Rs 3.5 lakh was to be given after the job.
The deal was settled at Rs 4 lakh," he said.
Initially, Umesh approached local shooters in the Patna City area and contacted known arms supplier Vikas alias Raja. However, after Raja demanded a higher fee, Umesh decided to carry out the shooting himself, using a weapon provided by Sao.
According to the SSP, Umesh had been briefed on Khemka's daily routine. "He was told that the target usually arrived at Bankipore Club around 8.30pm and left by 11.30pm.
On the night of July 4, Umesh followed Khemka and shot him outside the gate of his apartment complex around 11.45pm," Sharma said.
The next day, Sao allegedly met Umesh at J P Ganga Path under the Malsalami police station area and handed over Rs 3.5 lakh in cash. "A cellphone and sim card were purchased in Umesh's name for communication to shield Sao from being implicated. After the payment, Umesh returned the handset but kept the sim," Sharma said.
During a search of Sao's flat, police recovered Rs 6.5 lakh in cash, a 9mm pistol with 17 rounds and numerous land-related documents.
Director general of police (DGP) Vinay Kumar said police had retrieved several phone conversations between Sao and other businessmen involving land deals and disputes. "We are reviewing all communications to ascertain the motive behind Khemka's murder and the possible business-related conflict," he said.
The DGP also played an audio recording of a heated argument between Sao and another businessman during the press briefing.
Kumar added that Sao had been questioned earlier in connection with the 2002 Manoj Kamalia murder case and his name had surfaced in the killing of Santosh Tebriwal. He was also jailed over a cold storage dispute in Biharsharif. "In every case, land dispute has been a recurring factor," the DGP said.
The case has also drawn parallels with the 2018 murder of Khemka's son Gunjan in Vaishali district, allegedly also over a land dispute. In that incident, the shooter Abhishek and Khemka were both killed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
34 minutes ago
- NDTV
US Man Refuses To Hand Sons To Locals During Flood. They Are Swept Away
A Texas father holding his two sons while clinging to a tree was eventually swept away by flash floods last week. On July 4, John Burgess, the father, refused to hand over the children to locals. The fast-moving floodwaters swept them away, a devastated local said on Monday. According to witness Lorena Guillen, the owner of the RV park, Mr Burgess was seen clutching his two young sons, aged 1 and 5. "My husband was in the water trying to ask them, 'Please throw me your baby!'" she said. "The man was holding tight to his babies, and he just got swept away," Ms Guillen told The New York Post, adding he refused to let go of his children. "Everything was gone, every single RV and vehicle, it was gone, they got washed away," Ms Guillen said following the swift rise in the water levels. Flash floods in Kerr County, Texas, close to the Guadalupe River, raised the water levels about 25 to 27 feet, submerging Blue Oak RV Park and neighbouring campgrounds on July 4. Mr Burgess, a resident of Liberty, Texas, is one of the confirmed fatalities. His two sons and wife, Julia Anderson Burgess, are still missing. While the couple's daughter, who was attending a neighbouring summer camp, is safe, KWTX reported. Mr Burgess was camping in an RV camp with his wife and two boys. The Burgess family travelled to the Hill Country to pick up their eldest daughter from another camp spared by floods. The death count in the devastating Texas floods has risen to at least 104, Associated Press reported. In a Facebook post, the Kerr County Sheriff's Office said they had so far recovered 84 remains, including 56 adults and 28 children, from Kerr County. As of Tuesday, July 8, Ms Guillen, who created a GoFundMe account to help rebuild the Blue Oak RV Park, had received $3534, approximately Rs 3,02,645.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Your dog could land you in jail! Goa's new 2025 law cracks down on ferocious breeds, here's what pet owners must know
Strict Rules for Animal Owners Live Events Compensation for Victims of Attacks (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With more cases of dog attacks being reported, the Goa government is planning to bring a new law called the Goa Animal Breeding and Domestication (Regulation and Compensation) Bill, 2025. This bill will stop people from keeping or breeding ferocious animals and will also ban bringing such breeds into the proposed law, if anyone keeps or breeds dangerous animals after the law is passed, they could face up to three months in jail, a fine of Rs 50,000, and mandatory community state government will have the power to declare certain breeds as ferocious. Before doing that, they will give a 15-day notice to the public and ask for objections or suggestions. After considering public input, a final list of banned breeds will be a breed is declared ferocious, the law will ban people from keeping, breeding, or bringing those animals into someone already owns such an animal, they must inform the authorities within 30 days and get the animal sterilised within 60 days. A certificate will be given once the sterilisation is done. If someone breaks these rules, they can face legal bill also allows courts to consider the background of the offender and the situation of the case. If found suitable, the court may allow community service instead of jail a ferocious animal injures someone or causes death, the owner will be held responsible. The victim or the family of the deceased can claim compensation within six months of the incident.A government authority will conduct a quick inquiry and must give a decision within three months. If someone is unhappy with the decision, they can appeal to the Goa Administrative Tribunal within 60 days, or a maximum of one year if the delay is tribunal's decision will be final and cannot be challenged in any other court. No court can stop any action taken under this law once it comes into from TOI
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Inside Cambodia's ‘digital arrest' scam: Gurugram cops uncover call centre that mimicked Indian law agencies
It started with a call, followed by a video chat with a man in uniform seated before portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, B.R. Ambedkar, and Sardar Patel, and ended with an impersonated Enforcement Directorate officer demanding crores. This was the architecture of a cybercrime call centre in Cambodia, part of a cross-border fraud ring recently exposed by Gurgaon police, as per a TOI report. Khushi Chaudhary, 24, from Surat, became the 16th person arrested in a case involving an elaborate digital scam that led to an 81-year-old woman in Gurgaon losing Rs 2.9 crore in December 2024. Police picked up Khushi from Delhi's IGI Airport on June 29 after receiving intelligence about her return from Cambodia, the TOI report stated. Three rooms, three roles The syndicate operated from a building called 'Mango Park' in Phnom Penh. The setup had three distinct lines of operation. Line 1 involved entry-level callers like Khushi, who posed as FedEx or law enforcement personnel and contacted victims, warning them about parcels containing contraband or links to terror financing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brain tumor has left my son feeling miserable; please help! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo According to the TOI report, if the victims responded, the call was escalated to Line 2. Here, in a room styled like a typical Indian police office with official portraits on the wall, a man impersonating an ACP from Colaba would speak aggressively over a video call, building pressure. Line 3 involved more experienced scamsters posing as officers from ED or CBI. They quoted legal sections like UAPA, NDPS, FEMA, and IPC, and instructed victims to transfer money into specific accounts under the guise of verifying the funds or settling alleged violations. Victims were kept under what police described as a 'digital arrest' — barred from switching off phones or speaking to anyone. Live Events Rewards, crypto & rank promotions Khushi, who once worked as a barista in Surat, was recruited into the scam network through a contact in Dubai. After a stint at a cyber fraud call centre in Ajman, she was taken to Cambodia by a Pakistani recruiter in August 2024. Her initial role was in Line 1, making up to 40 calls per hour. On average, 3-4 victims would fall for the scam each day, police said. She later graduated to the role of a 'merchant,' responsible for routing money from victims into mule accounts across India and converting it into cryptocurrency within minutes. Her handlers, two Chinese nationals known as 'Lion' and 'Panda,' paid her a monthly salary of \$700 and performance-based incentives. Scamsters were rewarded with promotions, access to higher-ups, and weekend parties at luxury villas. 'The more victims one trapped, the faster one climbed the ladder,' said a Gurgaon police officer. The investigation In the Gurgaon case, police have arrested 15 others so far, many of them linked to the bank accounts used to launder funds. Charges have been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 318(4) for cheating, 336(3) for forgery, 348 for possession of instruments used in counterfeiting, and 340 for forged documents. The police described the scam operation as a well-oiled machine with a global footprint and financial routes that ultimately disappear into digital wallets.
