Mirzapur Woman Journalist Found Tied Near Culvert: Police Later Expose ‘Kidnapping’ Drama
In a twist to the alleged kidnapping case of Mirzapur-based journalist and YouTuber Sarita Singh Patel, Uttar Pradesh Police have revealed that the entire incident was allegedly staged as part of a conspiracy to falsely implicate policemen in a criminal case.
Six people, including Sarita herself, were arrested on Sunday after investigators uncovered evidence suggesting that the kidnapping and attempted murder claims were fabricated.
Sarita Patel, also known as Sarita Singh, had gone missing on April 30. The case drew widespread attention after she was reportedly found in critical condition near a culvert in the Rajgarh area of Mirzapur.
According to the initial reports, residents returning from a wedding function discovered her lying by the roadside with her hands, legs, and mouth tied. Petrol had allegedly been poured on her body in what appeared to be an attempt to burn her alive.
Following the incident, Sarita filed a complaint at the Adlahat police station, claiming she had been kidnapped and abandoned by unidentified persons. Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the sensational allegations.
However, during the probe, investigators reportedly found several inconsistencies in her statement. According to Mirzapur ASP Operations Rajkumar Meena, scientific evidence and technical investigation later revealed that the incident had been carefully planned.
Police arrested six accused in connection with the conspiracy, as per TOI. The arrested individuals were identified as Sarita Singh Patel, Amardeep, Vijay Kumar Singh, Subhash, Ankita and Sunita.
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During questioning, co-accused Amardeep allegedly told police that Sarita had ongoing disputes with the Chunar police after some individuals known to her were jailed in a previous case. He claimed that she often pressured police officials to act according to her demands.
When those demands were allegedly not fulfilled, Sarita and the other accused reportedly planned to frame certain policemen by creating a fake kidnapping and extortion case.
Police said that as part of the plan, Amardeep dropped Sarita near the Rajgarh culvert on a motorcycle. Her hands and feet were tied to make the scene appear genuine, and petrol was sprinkled on her clothes to intensify the seriousness of the incident.
ASP Rajkumar Meena told TOI that the primary objective of the conspiracy was to ensure that targeted policemen were booked under serious criminal charges.
The accused have now been booked under charges including kidnapping, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, extortion, and harbouring offenders.
(With inputs from TOI)
