Budaun, UP:

The father of the two children brutally murdered in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun, concerned over the lack of clarity surrounding the motive behind the double murder, set a bike on fire on Sunday.

A fire brigade team successfully brought the fire under control. Senior Budaun police officer Alok Mishra arrived at the scene, and the in-charge of the Civil Line police station, Gaurav Vishnoi, held discussions with the family members, trying to make them understand that motive for the murders will only be disclosed following the investigation of the case.

According to the police, Sajid, a familiar face in the neighborhood who ran a barber shop opposite the victims’ residence, was responsible for the double murder. Sajid, known to the children’s father, Vinod Singh, visited their house under the guise of borrowing Rs 5,000. However, moments after being handed the money, Sajid launched a savage assault on the children as their mother prepared tea for him.

After gaining entry into the household, Sajid allegedly asked Aayush (11) to take him to his mother’s beauty salon upstairs. Upon reaching the second floor, Sajid allegedly switched off the lights before launching a vicious assault on Aayush with a knife. As Sajid slashed Aayush’s throat, his younger brother Ahaan (6) entered the room. Sajid then grabbed Ahaan and stabbed him multiple times as well. Subsequently, he targeted their other sibling, Piyush, though the seven-year-old managed to escape, sustaining minor injuries in the process.

Following the assault, Sajid fled the scene along with his brother Javed, who was reportedly waiting outside with a motorcycle. However, their escape was short-lived as Sajid was later confronted by the police and killed in an encounter. The encounter resulted in injuries to a police personnel as well.

Javed, the co-accused, was on the run but has since surrendered to Bareilly police. In a video message, Javed claimed innocence, stating that he possesses call recordings suggesting his brother’s involvement in the crime.

The father of the murdered children, Vinod Singh, has called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the murders. He has urged the authorities to refrain from resorting to encounters and instead ensure Javed’s arrest to uncover the motive behind the heinous crime.

“I want to know the reason for the murder,” Vinod Singh said, seeking answers from the authorities. 

“Javed must be questioned so that we know why they did this. If he is killed in an encounter, the secret will never come out. Others may be involved too. We need to know if my children were killed as part of a conspiracy. They would have killed others in the family too,” he added. 

Investigation into the case is still ongoing with the police trying to establish the motive behind the gruesome murders. 

Chilling details have emerged in a double murder case in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun, in which a man allegedly killed two children over a dispute with their father.

The alleged killer, Sajid, ran a barber shop opposite the victims’ house and knew their father Vinod, police said. On Tuesday evening, Sajid visited their house, ostensibly to borrow Rs 5,000, but Vinod was not at home. When Vinod’s wife left the room to make tea, he allegedly attacked her three children.

The double murders sparked tension in the city, with residents setting the barber’s shop on fire.

According to the family, Sajid told Vinod’s wife Sangeeta that his pregnant wife was in hospital and he needed Rs 5,000 for her treatment. Sangeeta phoned her husband Vinod, who reportedly told her to loan him the money.

While she was in the kitchen making tea, Sajid allegedly asked her oldest son, 11-year-old Aayush, to show him his mother’s beauty salon upstairs. The boy led him to the first floor, and then the second floor. On the second floor, Sajid allegedly switched off the lights and attacked Aayush with a knife.

Sajid was allegedly slitting Aayush’s throat when his youngest brother Ahaan (6) walked in. Sajid allegedly grabbed Ahaan and killed him in a similar manner. He went on to attack their other brother, Piyush, but the seven-year-old was able to run away and hide, the police said. Aayush and Ahaan died but Piyush suffered minor injuries.

The family told the police that Sajid fled with his brother Javed, who was waiting outside on a bike. Both Sajid and Javed were involved in the crime, the family has alleged.

The police claim when Sajid was caught, he fired at the cops and was killed in an encounter. An inspector was shot during the encounter and has been admitted to hospital, the police said. Javed is still missing.

An FIR has been registered against the brothers. The police said the motive behind the murders has not been established so far, but it appears to be a dispute between Sajid and Vinod.

Vinod, however, has denied that there was a dispute between the two. “I had no dispute with him. I was away from home for work when he came to the house. He asked for Rs 5,000 and my wife gave him the money. One of my sons was able to escape his attack and warn his mother,” Vinod told NDTV.