In a bizarre case of deception, a 33-year-old man from Delhi orchestrated his own fake death in the hills of Uttarakhand, leading authorities on a frantic 19-day search operation. The elaborate plan was an attempt to abandon his second marriage and return to his first wife in the national capital.
The Double Life of Manoj Kumar
The man at the center of this drama is Manoj Kumar, a resident of Samalka in south-west Delhi. His complex web of relationships began to unravel in early 2019. In January of that year, Kumar married a 32-year-old woman from a different religion in Delhi. This union was kept a secret from his family.
Just one month later, in February 2019, he moved to Ranikhet in Uttarakhand's Almora district. Here, he entered into a second marriage with a 30-year-old government school teacher, in a match arranged by his parents. Kumar, who is unemployed, managed to sustain these two parallel lives, and a son was born from each marriage.
The Elaborate Disappearance Act
The plot thickened on December 8. Kumar told his second wife in Ranikhet that he was traveling to Nainital for a bank interview. That evening, he called her from near Kainchi Dham on the Nainital Road, informing her he was on his way back home. He never arrived.
His family filed a missing person's report the next day. The situation turned grim when police discovered his scooter in a deep gorge near Panyali in Khairna along the same road. This discovery sparked fears of a tragic accident, a wild animal attack, or even abduction.
A massive search operation was launched immediately. Teams spread out across dense forests, treacherous ravines, and steep slopes, combing the difficult terrain for any sign of Kumar. The search continued relentlessly for 19 days.
The Truth Unravels in Delhi
The breakthrough came through technical surveillance. Kumar's mobile phone, which had been switched off since his disappearance, suddenly became active in Delhi's Bijwasan area. Following this lead, investigators tracked him down.
Upon questioning, the truth emerged. Kumar confessed to deliberately pushing his scooter into the gorge to stage a fatal accident. After faking his death, he switched off his phone, traveled to Delhi, and kept changing his location to avoid detection by the police.
Police enquiries revealed that Kumar's second wife had discovered his first marriage about two years ago. The couple frequently argued over this issue, which ultimately pushed Kumar to devise the drastic plan of faking his own death to escape back to his first family.
Legal Repercussions and Official Statement
Almora Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Devendra Pincha clarified that this was neither an accident nor a crime in the traditional sense, but a meticulously planned act. "Legal action is now being prepared against him for wasting public resources and misleading the authorities," stated SSP Pincha.
Kumar was subsequently handed over to his family in Delhi on Saturday. The case highlights the extreme lengths to which individuals may go to escape personal entanglements, while also underscoring the significant drain on public resources such false alarms cause.
The 19-day search operation involved numerous personnel and logistical efforts, all triggered by one man's decision to fabricate his demise. Authorities have emphasized that such actions will not be taken lightly and will invite strict legal consequences.
