3 more arrested in UP advocate suicide case

Three more people were arrested on Monday in connection with the death of an advocate who allegedly shot himself after being harassed by a group of people who tried to extort Rs 60 lakh from him, police said.

With this, five people have so far been arrested in the case, they said.

Additional Superintendent of Police Rajendra Kumar Gautam told PTI, Three more people involved in the suicide of advocate Mukesh Kumar Pathak (50) in Samadnagar area of the district were arrested on Monday.

They are Ravi Soni, Ankit Soni and Abhay Pratap Singh." Police had on Sunday arrested block pramukh (chairman) of Kabrai and his nephew in this connection.

Gautam said efforts are on to arrest two more accused--Anand Mohan Yadav and Manish Chaubey--in the case.

"Senior advocate Mukesh Kumar Pathak, a resident of Samadnagar locality, killed himself late Saturday night. A suicide note was recovered and a case was registered against block pramukh of Kabrai development block, Chhatrapal Yadav and his nephew Vikram Yadav,” Anoop Kumar Dubey, SHO, Kotwali Police Station had said on Sunday.

Dubey said on February 7, a case of extortion and threat to kill (a person) was registered against Chhatrapal Yadav, Vikram Yadav, Anand Mohan Yadav, Ravi Soni and Ankit Soni on the basis of the complaint lodged by the advocate.He, however, said that the advocate had filed the complaint on January 19.

Asked why the case was registered after 18 days of filing of complaint, the SHO said, "I do not know the reasons for this as I was posted in the Kotwali Police Station on February 9."

Citing family members of the deceased, Dubey had said Pathak was called to a hotel on Saturday and the accused asked him to withdraw the complaint, following which he took the extreme step.