Lucknow: Five people, including a juvenile, were arrested on Saturday for the murder of a 19-year-old man in Kushinagar on Aug 1, police said.The victim, Adarsh Chauhan of Chakhni Khas village, was allegedly stabbed in the abdomen by a group of youths who objected to his regular contact with a girl. He later succumbed to his injuries.According to police, Adarsh had been in touch with the girl for some time, a relationship the accused allegedly disapproved of. The issue had led to a confrontation between Adarsh and the group around 15 to 20 days before the murder.Following the incident, Adarsh’s father, Chandeshwar Chauhan, lodged a complaint naming five persons and four unidentified individuals. Police detained those named in the FIR within 24 hours and questioned them extensively.However, investigators said subsequent interrogation and verification of evidence indicated that the individuals named in the complaint were not involved in the crime. Police then pursued other leads and identified five different suspects.Four accused, Angad Paswan, Satish Kushwaha, Chandan Kushwaha and Pritam Kushwaha, were arrested on Aug 8, while one juvenile was also taken into custody and sent to a juvenile home.Police said the accused confessed during interrogation to killing Adarsh. Investigators subsequently verified their statements through CCTV footage, mobile phone location data and digital payment records, which allegedly corroborated their involvement.The murder weapon, a knife, and two motorcycles used in the crime were also recovered, said Kushinagar SP Keshav Kumar, who himself supervised the probe.Tension gripped the village on Aug 1 when Adarsh’s body was brought home after the postmortem. Refusing to perform his last rites, family members and villagers placed the body on Tamkuhiraj-Tarya road, disrupting traffic and demanding the arrest of all those involved.The protesters also submitted a memorandum addressed to chief minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking a CID or CBI probe, police protection for the family, Rs 1 crore compensation and a govt job for a family member.
