Dhanbad: Jharkhand Police have arrested a man for allegedly hiring contract killers to murder his father in an attempt to secure a government job on compassionate grounds. Two alleged hired assailants involved in the killing have also been taken into custody.
Job Motive Under Probe
According to the police investigation, the victim, Tuleshwar Nonia, was employed with Bharat Coking Coal Limited and had around two years of service remaining before retirement. Investigators allege that his son, Vijay Chauhan, conspired to eliminate him so that he could obtain employment under the company’s compassionate appointment policy after his father’s death.
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Police said Vijay Chauhan allegedly planned the murder with two associates, Amit Singh and Akhilesh Mallah, both residents of the Barora area. Investigators claimed that Chauhan had promised the two men ₹10 lakh for carrying out the murder, though no advance payment had been made before the crime.
Alibi Created Before Killing
According to the investigation, Chauhan allegedly created an alibi to divert suspicion by telling his father that he was travelling to Aurangabad in Bihar to attend a relative’s wedding. After leaving home on the morning of June 19, he allegedly stayed away while the murder plot was executed.
Police said that after Tuleshwar Nonia completed his work shift on the night of June 19, the two accused allegedly offered him a ride on their motorcycle. Instead of taking him home, they reportedly took him to a secluded location and attacked him with a large stone, causing fatal injuries.
CCTV Helped Crack Case
Investigators alleged that the accused smashed the victim’s face to conceal his identity and dragged the body to the roadside to make the incident appear to be a road accident.
The breakthrough came after investigators examined CCTV footage from the BCCL AMP Colliery surveillance system, which allegedly showed the victim riding on the motorcycle with the two suspects shortly before his death. Based on this evidence, police detained the suspects, and interrogation allegedly revealed the conspiracy.
Police said one of the arrested accused, Akhilesh Mallah, has a criminal history and had earlier been jailed in cases related to coal and diesel theft.
All three accused have been arrested. Further investigation is underway to complete evidence collection and establish every aspect of the alleged conspiracy.
