A gruesome murder sent shockwaves through the Bilhaur area of Kanpur district on Tuesday morning after the headless body of a local trader was discovered lying abandoned on Makhanpur Road near the Khurd Khojanpur turn. The horrifying condition of the victim, whose head was missing while his bicycle lay right beside him, left passersby and villagers petrified. The terrifying discovery led to immense panic across the neighbourhood, prompting immediate alerts to the police control room. Law enforcement teams rushed to the spot and cordoned off the entire surrounding perimeter to launch a search operation. Following nearly an hour of intensive scouring in the vicinity, officers located the severed head submerged inside a waterlogged pit located approximately 10 to 12 feet away from the torso. Upon retrieving the head, the victim was identified as Raj Kishore Patwa, a resident of Vaishnav Nagar in Bilhaur.
Trader Left Home on Bicycle Bound for Devha Village
Raj Kishore Patwa originally belonged to Devha village but had relocated to the Vaishnav Nagar locality in Bilhaur town, where he lived with his family. He resided with his wife Madhu and their three daughters, Shubhi, Anshi, and Nancy. Raj Kishore earned a livelihood by running a business dealing in women's cosmetic items and makeup products, supporting his household through the trade. According to his family, Raj Kishore departed from his residence around 8:00 AM on Tuesday on his bicycle, informing them that he was heading toward his ancestral village of Devha. Barely an hour later, devastating news of his savage murder reached his shocked household.
Torso Left on Main Road Amid Torn Clothing
Local villagers traversing past the Khurd Khojanpur turn were the first to spot the decapitated body lying on the asphalt, triggering widespread alarm. Raj Kishore's bicycle lay right next to his torso. A short distance away from the body, investigators also located the torn collar of his shirt alongside his scarf (angochha). As news of the horrifying sight spread, large crowds of local villagers quickly assembled at the spot, while the police were promptly summoned to take charge of the crime scene.
Severed Head Recovered from Water-Filled Ditch
Upon arriving at the scene, police personnel cordoned off the area and initiated a systematic search of nearby fields and roadside ditches. After an arduous search lasting roughly an hour, officers found the victim's severed head inside a ditch filled with water, about 10 to 12 feet away from where the torso lay. With the recovery of the head, grieving family members who had reached the location formally confirmed the identity of the deceased as Raj Kishore Patwa.
Murder Suspected to Be Carried Out Using Sharp Weapon
Preliminary investigations carried out by the police indicate that the assailants attacked Raj Kishore with a heavy sharp-edged weapon to sever his neck from his torso. A forensic team was summoned to the crime scene to lift fingerprint evidence, collect blood splatters, and document crucial clues. Police also impounded the items recovered from the scene, including the bicycle and torn pieces of apparel. The body has since been dispatched to the mortuary for an autopsy. Investigators have begun questioning family members to determine the motive behind the murder and to trace any persons who may have harboured hostility toward the victim.
DCP and ACP Inspect Crime Scene Directly
Recognising the gravity of the brutal crime, senior supervisory police officials promptly arrived to oversee the probe. DCP SM Qasim Abidi and ACP Ankit Kumar conducted an extensive inspection of the crime scene and reviewed the findings compiled by the responding police squads. Forensic experts gathered critical scientific traces from the location to reconstruct the sequence of events. DCP SM Qasim Abidi stated that investigators are actively questioning relatives to uncover potential leads. The police are continuing their probe from multiple angles to identify the perpetrators and establish the motive behind the gruesome killing.
