Pratapgarh police have doubled the cash reward to Rs 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Shubham Sonkar, a co-accused wanted in the Manikpur rape and murder case. Inspector General of Police, Prayagraj Range, Ajay Kumar Mishra, announced the enhanced bounty on Monday, which supersedes the earlier Rs 25,000 reward declared by Superintendent of Police, Pratapgarh, Deepak Bhukar.
Details of the Case
The prime accused, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested on Monday and produced in court. Both the prime accused and Shubham Sonkar, son of Dilip Sonkar, a resident of Pumpapur Pariyawan village under Nawabganj police station, have been booked under sections of the BNS at Manikpur police station. According to police, the prime accused knew the 19-year-old victim and was in regular phone contact. Preliminary investigation reveals that she visited him at a mango orchard where Shubham was present. The co-accused allegedly filmed her in a compromising position, threatened to share it on social media, and raped her. When she threatened to expose them, the duo suffocated her to death, hanged the body, and fled. Her body was found in a Manikpur village on Sunday.
Ongoing Investigation
Two police teams are conducting raids, with searches ongoing via surveillance and technical means. Police have assured that informants’ identities will remain confidential, and the reward will be paid as per rules. Authorities urge the public to come forward with any information that could lead to the arrest of Shubham Sonkar.
