LUCKNOW: A 40-year-old transporter and businessman with alleged links to BJP was abducted and shot dead by his trusted driver and the driver’s associates in connection with a long-running property dispute worth about Rs 8 crore in Unnao, police said on Sunday.The victim, identified as Dhirendra Pratap Singh, a resident of Vrindavan in the PGI area and originally from Fatehpur Chaurasi in Unnao, was engaged in transport and property-related work and served as chairman of Maharana Pratap Charitable Foundation. His body was recovered from a canal in Dubagga after the accused driver allegedly led investigators to the location, police said.Police said Singh was murdered inside his Toyota Fortuner SUV, which has been recovered. Forensic teams found blood stains inside the vehicle. Investigators said Singh sustained two gunshot wounds, one to the chest and another to the head.According to DCP South Zone Mohammad Mushtaq, Singh left home on Saturday afternoon accompanied by his driver, Ravi Kishore Tiwari, a resident of the Cantonment area. When Singh did not return late at night, his wife, Mamta Singh, repeatedly tried calling him. His phone continued to ring, but there was no answer.Police said suspicion grew after Ravi allegedly gave contradictory accounts. He initially told Mamta that Singh was at Phoenix Palassio mall with friends and attending a business meeting. Later, Ravi allegedly sent WhatsApp messages from Singh’s phone claiming he was safe and busy with work.Around midnight, Ravi returned to Singh’s residence carrying medicines but without Singh. When questioned, he allegedly claimed Singh had left with acquaintances from Unnao. Mamta then approached Sushant Golf City police and alleged that the driver and his associates had abducted her husband.A case was registered and six police teams were formed to investigate. Officers scanned CCTV footage from the mall and surrounding routes, while surveillance teams tracked movements linked to the suspects. Ravi was detained for questioning.Police said Ravi initially tried to mislead investigators by claiming Singh had gone with friends after being dropped near the mall, but later confessed during interrogation. Investigators alleged that Singh was kidnapped and shot inside the Fortuner, and the body was dumped in a canal running through orchards in the Sarai Prem Raj area of Dubagga. The body was recovered on the basis of the disclosure and sent for post-mortem.Police have arrested one associate and are conducting raids to arrest other suspects. Investigators said a property dispute over land in Unnao was suspected to be the motive, and rival claimants may have involved the driver, who had worked with Singh for nearly six years.Police also said Singh had been provided two armed security guards by authorities in Unnao, but he did not take them when he left home on Saturday, which investigators believe the accused exploited.
