LPG vendor’s cellphone number helps police identify headless bodies

Begusarai: Mystery surrounding the brutal killings of Pooja Gupta (34) and her two daughters and a son seems to have unfolded with police locating Pooja’s house at Bagha area of the town.
Heads of the all the four were severed from their bodies, which were recovered from a ditch near Sanha railway halt under Sahebpur Kamal police station area in the district on Monday.Even their clothes were taken away to conceal their identities.
Begusarai SDPO Rajesh Kumar, who is also the acting SP said, “Pooja belonged to Katihar and she was living in a rented accommodation here with her husband Sarvesh and three children-- Kunal (10), Zia (8) and Chhoti (6). The family had moved here in April this year. Police, however, suspect her husband’s hand in the crime as he is missing even after the recovery of the bodies.”
“Pooja’s family members have been informed and once they arrive, police will get further clue in the case. While inspecting the spot, I found a small LPG cylinder with a cell phone number written on it lying about 100 metres away from the bodies. I called on the number and the man at the other end turned out to be a private LPG gas vendor from Bagha locality of Begusarai town. When told about the murder of the woman and her three children, he immediately recognized the woman. He said the woman often used to come to his shop for refilling LPG,” said the SDPO.
Pooja’s landlord Brahmdev Prasad told newsmen that they had become used to frequent voices of fights and arguments coming out from the house, but on Monday morning, little had the people thought that this would culminate into a stark tragedy. The family appeared to be facing grave financial crisis as the children never went to school.
“On Sunday afternoon I saw the family going out in the afternoon,” said Prasad.
Pooja’s husband Sarvesh belongs to Milki village under Thana Bihpur police station of Bhagalpur district. He had introduced himself as a private mobile tower supervisor in Khagaria district. Police, however, doubt the claim. Sources said police even suspect the relationship between Pooja and Sarvesh as the latter might have killed the woman and her children to get rid of them.