Police in Varanasi have arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly killing his friend and dumping his body in a field, with the accused claiming that the murder was driven by humiliation linked to an incident involving the alleged consumption of cow meat. The case has also raised questions after the victim’s family rejected this claim and alleged the killing was motivated by money.
According to the police, the accused, Virendra Yadav, allegedly strangled his friend Aftab Alam, aged 28, and left his body near a pond in Mahagaon Madai village under the Sindhaura police station area. Aftab was a resident of Chapra district in Bihar, while Virendra belongs to Varanasi.
The body was found on January 8, when police received information about an unidentified man lying in a field. Officers noticed blood coming from the mouth and nose. During a search of the area, police recovered a bag containing an identity card in the name of Aftab Alam, son of Kalamuddin, along with details of his employer, Siddharth Automatic India Private Limited. After completing legal formalities, the body was sent for post-mortem and later handed over to the family for the last rites in Bihar.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Prateek Kumar said the case took a turn after the victim’s family approached the police on January 21. “The family expressed suspicion of murder and pointed out unusual financial transactions from Aftab’s bank account to Virendra’s account,” he said. Police found that on the day the body was recovered, Rs 40,000 had been transferred via UPI from Aftab’s account to the accused.
Based on the complaint, a murder case was registered, and the investigation began. Police tracked call detail records and bank transactions and identified Virendra Yadav of Laskarpur village as the prime suspect. He was arrested on January 25.
During interrogation, police said Virendra claimed that he and Aftab had earlier lived and worked together as helpers in a Bengaluru-based company. “The accused alleged that in September last year, the victim deceived him into eating meat and later told others about it, which led to ridicule and humiliation,” ACP Kumar said. “He claimed this humiliation pushed him to plan the murder.”
However, Aftab’s family strongly denied this version. His father, Kalamuddin, said the allegation was false and meant to divert attention. “My son lived with roommates from different communities. No one ever complained about such an incident,” he said. “We believe he was killed over money and employment-related issues. Important documents are missing, and money from his bank accounts was withdrawn by the accused.”
Kalamuddin, who works in a factory in Noida, added, “I sent my son outside Bihar so he could earn and support the family. The accused is giving false explanations to save himself.”
Police said both men were unmarried and had been working in different states at the time of the incident. Aftab was recently transferred to Chennai, while Virendra was posted in Gujarat. According to investigators, Virendra allegedly called Aftab to Varanasi on the pretext of meeting him before rejoining work. The two met at the railway station on January 7, after which Aftab was allegedly taken to a secluded spot and killed.
Police claim they have recovered Aftab’s Aadhaar card, PAN card and other personal documents from the accused. Efforts are on to trace and arrest another person who is suspected of being involved in the crime.
