UP: Third body recovered from pond in Ghazipur triple murder case

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• Third youth's body recovered from pond in Ghazipur after triple murder
• Police arrested three suspects and are questioning others in the case
• Triple murder linked to old rivalry between two village groups

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The body of the third man, killed during a dispute between youths of two settlements in a village here and thrown into a pond last week, has been recovered, police said on Tuesday.

Three youths were hacked to death on December 24 and their bodies thrown into a pond in Gahmar village of Ghazipur district over an old rivalry between the two groups.

A case was registered against 12 people in connection with the case and the bodies of two youths were recovered from the pond earlier.

According to Superintendent of Police Iraj Raja, the body of Ankit Singh (23) was recovered after the water level in the pond gradually reduced over several days.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, he said.

According to local residents and eyewitnesses, Ankit's body was swollen but not mutilated. A villager said the intense cold may have prevented fish from damaging the body. Police officials said the body was found buried in sludge at the bottom of the pond after the water receded significantly.

"Earlier, the bodies of Vicky Singh and Saurabh Singh were recovered and post-mortem examinations were conducted. With the recovery of the third body, the investigation has progressed further," SP Raja said.

He added that two men and a woman have been arrested in the case, while three to four other suspects are being questioned. Further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses, he said.

Social worker Ishwar Singh, a resident of Gahmar, described the incident as "deeply tragic" and said families needed to pay greater attention to guiding youths in the right direction.

He said the pond from which the body was recovered spreads over around six bighas and remains filled as village water drains into it regularly, making the search challenging.

Police said the triple murder stemmed from a long-standing rivalry between youths of two settlements in the village. A clash had allegedly broken out during the Dussehra festival in October, further escalating tensions between the two groups and culminating in the triple murder.

The three youths were allegedly killed with sharp-edged weapons such as axes and choppers, and their bodies were dumped into the pond to conceal the crime. The incident had triggered protests by villagers and heightened tension in the area.