UP man likes cousin's girlfriend, hammers him to death to pursue her

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj after he allegedly murdered his cousin and set the body on fire over a dispute involving the victim's girlfriend, whom he purportedly wanted to pursue himself.He also sent ransom messages for Rs 50 lakh using his cousin's UPI ID to mislead the latter's family into believing that he was still alive, per the police.The accused has been identified as Shivam Rai, who is a content creator. His cousin, 20-year-old Sumit Kumar alias Sahil, went missing on July 23. As part of efforts to trace him, the police stitched together CCTV footage and other technical evidence.However, the search ended when the police recovered the young man's partially burnt body. Following this, the investigators identified Shivam as a suspect in the case and promptly arrested him. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to killing Sumit. Shivam purportedly told the police that he had grown very close to his cousin's girlfriend as he used to recharge her mobile number now and then.He allegedly told the police that he then devised a plan to eliminate Sumit in order to pursue his girlfriend. According to the police, he took Sumit to an isolated location, attacked him fatally with a hammer, and then poured petrol on the body and set it on fire in an attempt to destroy his identity.After the murder, Shivam allegedly used Sumit's mobile number and SIM card to send Instagram messages to the latter's family. He also demanded ransom through a UPI ID to deceive them.Believing Sumit was still alive, his family transferred Rs 7,000 in two instalments before Shivam was arrested. Further investigation into the case is underway.- Ends(Based on inputs from Pankaj Srivastava)Published On: Aug 1, 2026 12:03 IST