The writing was on the wall…and it hinted at the deadly intentions of Ashwani Kumar alias Jonny Dada, 33, who is the prime suspect in three sensational murders that have rocked western Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district over the past five days.
Kumar posted multiple text messages, Tik Tok videos and photographs on his Facebook wall, expressing his desire to harm people who he believes insulted him.
Kumar allegedly shot dead local Bharatiya Janata Party leader Bhim Singh Kashyap’s son Chandra Bhushan alias Rahul, 24, and his cousin Krishna alias Lala, 25, after inviting them for a drink on September 26.
He struck again when he shot dead a former air hostess Nikita Sharma, 27, after barging into her house on Monday afternoon.
Since then he has been absconding and is believed to be hiding in the forests around Daulatabad, the police said.
IG (law and order) Praveen Kumar said the accused seems to be a fanatic and out to settle scores. It is believed that he stalked Sharma.
“Police teams have surrounded the jungle area of Daulatabad, where he is suspected to be hiding. He will soon be arrested,” he said
It was Kumar’s social media accounts (under a different name) that helped the police connect the dots.
“Now, we are connecting the messages with his act of revenge. They clearly hint that he was planning to commit crimes,” said a Bijnor police official who asked not to be named.
The last post on Facebook by Kumar was on August 18.
The police suspect he harboured a grudge against the two cousins, his first target, over a perceived slight dating back a year.
After their killings, Kumar disappeared, only to reappear on Monday when he barged into the house of Nikita Sharma and shot her.
The woman suffered multiple wounds and later succumbed to injuries in a Moradabad hospital, said the official, who added that Sharma was scheduled to get married in November