Hapur: You must have seen many funerals on the banks of Ganga, but you would have rarely seen such a ‘funeral’ in which the pyre was decorated, ritual items were purchased, the atmosphere was also created… and when the sheet of the dead body was removed, there was no human inside… but an effigy was found! Yes, on Thursday afternoon such a drama took place at the famous Brajghat located in Garhmukteshwar of Hapur district that the people present there were shocked. Because, for the first time, someone tried to cremate a plastic effigy.
On Thursday, four youths from Delhi reached the famous Ganga Ghat Brajghat located in Garhmukteshwar with HR number i20. Cremation worker Nitin thought everything was normal, people took ghee, wood, decorated the pyre… but then the suspense started. In fact, the dead body was laid on the pyre wrapped in a sheet, due to which the local people present there felt something was wrong. So people talked about removing the sheet from the dead body. During this period, he kept avoiding removing the bedsheet, so the crematorium workers also became suspicious.
Police arrived, two businessmen were caught, two absconding
When the sheet was removed by applying pressure, a plastic mannequin came out from inside. Police reached the spot on information and took into custody two Delhi based textile traders, Kamal Somani and Ashish Khurana, while their two associates escaped. Two more plastic mannequins were also found in the car. During strict interrogation, Kamal Somani told the police that he was in debt of Rs 50 lakh. To repay the loan, he had taken the documents of a young man he knew, Anshul, on some pretext.
‘Fake death’ conspiracy hatched for Rs 50 lakh in insurance
Not only this, about a year ago he got Tata AIA life insurance of Rs 50 lakh in the name of Anshul, in which he made himself the nominee. During this time, he also kept paying the insurance premiums regularly, so that no one had any doubts. Kamal’s plan was to perform the last rites by showing Anshul’s body in effigy, then collect the death certificate and make an insurance claim. Kamal admitted that he picked up the mannequin from the shop and wrapped it in a sheet like a dead body and reached Brajghat.
The cremation worker exposed
Nitin, who works at the cremation ground, told that two youths came in an i20 car with HR number. He bought ghee and funeral items and asked to decorate the pyre. When Nitin asked, ‘Why is the dead body only in a sheet? So the young man started talking incessantly. Nitin felt that the matter was too vague. The pressure increased…there was an argument and finally the sheet was removed. Everyone was stunned to see the effigy. Nitin immediately informed the police. As soon as the police arrived, two of the four youths ran away, while two were caught.
Police made a video call to Anshul from the mobile found on the spot. Anshul told that he is safe and has been living in his house in Prayagraj for a few days. According to Kotwali in-charge Inspector Manoj Balyan, both the detained businessmen are being interrogated on every aspect and a thorough investigation of the case is going on.
Police registered the case
Kotwali in-charge Inspector Manoj Balyan said that a case has been registered against Kamal Somani and his partner under serious sections related to fraud, forgery and conspiracy. The search for two other absconding youths is ongoing. At the same time, now the fraud of Rs 50 lakh, the convoy of mannequins and this entire incident that happened on the banks of Ganga has now become a topic of discussion on social media also.
