By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
The Nainital police on Thursday claimed to have solved the murder of a 56-year-old woman in Ramnagar town, arresting an Army personnel and two men allegedly hired by him to kill her.
The accused were also allegedly plotting to murder her two sons, whose lives were saved in the nick of time, Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjunath T.C. said.
The accused allegedly assaulted Vimla Devi (56), wife of Khilap Singh Bisht, and later dumped her body near a house in Kishanpur Chhoi village in Ramnagar. CCTV footage showing the suspects assaulting the woman and subsequently transporting her semi-nude body in a vehicle helped the police crack the case.
Manjunath said the incident came to light on November 10, when Ramnagar police received information through Dial 112 that a woman’s body was lying outside the house of Trilok Singh Bisht in Kishanpur Chhoi village.
The deceased was identified as Vimla Devi, a resident of the same village. A preliminary examination revealed serious injury marks on her body. The police called a forensic team to collect evidence and sent the body for post-mortem examination.
Following a complaint by her son, Kundan Singh Bisht, a case was registered at Ramnagar police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from cameras installed in the surrounding areas. The footage showed three suspects assaulting the woman and forcibly taking her away. They were subsequently seen transporting her semi-nude body in a vehicle and dumping it near the house.
Based on the CCTV footage, technical investigation and other evidence, police identified the three accused. Investigators found that the main accused, Mohit Fartyal (32), an Army personnel, allegedly wanted to avenge the murder of his father, Govind Singh, who had been killed in the past by Vimla Devi’s two sons over his alleged relationship with their mother.
Driven by the old enmity, Fartyal allegedly conspired with two associates to kill Vimla Devi.
Police arrested Fartyal following a tip-off, while his two associates were apprehended near the Ramnagar railway ground before they were allegedly attempting to attack Vimla Devi’s two sons, the SSP said.
“By arresting the two accused, we also saved the lives of Vimla Devi’s two sons in the nick of time,” Manjunath said.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohit Fartyal (32), a resident of Kishanpur Chhoi; Sairan (21), a resident of Khatari; and Mohammad Abuzar (22).
Police recovered three wooden sticks, an iron spanner and a stone allegedly used in the assault. The vehicle bearing registration number UK04 AN 6012, allegedly used to transport the body, and the drawstring of the victim’s petticoat were also seized.