Gang murders man, cremates body wearing PPE kit in Agra

New Delhi: Five gang members wore full protective gear to cremate a man they had murdered, pretending he died from Covid-19, police said Tuesday.

The victim was invited to a party by the men, whom he owed Rs 40 lakh ($54,000), and suffocated, according to police.

The gang wore full PPE and cremated the body at a facility in Agra, registering the dead man under a false name, local police chief Muniraj G. said.

“To avoid being caught… they wore PPE kit and used a body bag to pack and transport the body to the cremation ground,” Muniraj G. said on Twitter.

“All the five accused have confessed to their crime.”

A tip-off from an informant led to the arrest of one of the men, according to a police statement.

India was devastated by a coronavirus third wave in April and May, overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums across the country. Nearly 1,000 people are still dying on average every day.