Tent Businessman Murdered Over Chair Cover Dispute in UP's Ballia; Three Suspects Arrested

On November 25, authorities discovered a corpse bound to a motorcycle floating in the Ganga river.

In Ballia district, three individuals were apprehended on Thursday for allegedly murdering a 45-year-old tent business owner following a disagreement about the color of chair and sofa covers at a wedding ceremony.

Police officials stated that Rajkumar Singh from Parsia village had reported on November 23 that his nephew, tent businessman Ajit Kumar Singh (also known as Bodha), aged 45, had departed from Majhouwa village for his residence around 4 am but never arrived home.

A missing person report was filed at the Haldi police station. Two days later, on November 25, law enforcement recovered a body tied to a motorcycle floating in the Ganga near Hukum Chapra ghat. The deceased was identified as Ajit Kumar Singh.

Following a complaint lodged by the victim's brother, Chandan Kumar Singh, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against three suspects: Piyush Kumar Singh (43), Anish Kumar Singh (24), and Ankur Singh (22).

According to the FIR, Ajit had installed a tent for a wedding at Majhouwa village on November 22 and remained there overnight. Around 1 am, a dispute erupted regarding changing the color of chair and sofa covers, after which the accused allegedly killed him and disposed of his body in the Ganga river, tied to his Hero Passion motorcycle.

Bairia Circle Officer Mohammad Faheem Qureshi confirmed that all three suspects were arrested near Shanti Nagar Tiraha on Thursday and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.