Kanpur Businessman Stabbed 26 Times. Partying Daughter-In-Law Guided Killers - NDTV

**Kanpur Businessman Murdered in Brutal Stabbing; Daughter‑in‑Law Accused of Orchestrating Plot**

Kanpur police on Tuesday announced that 55‑year‑old pharmaceutical entrepreneur **Rohit Sharma** (name changed for legal reasons) was found dead in his residence on Saturday, having been stabbed 26 times. The gruesome discovery was made after Sharma’s son reported his father’s absence, prompting a search of the family home in the city’s industrial suburb. Forensic investigators recovered a large amount of blood spatter and multiple weapons, leading them to treat the case as a pre‑meditated homicide rather than a robbery gone wrong.

Further inquiries uncovered a disturbing digital trail. WhatsApp chat logs retrieved from the mobile phones of the accused and an ex‑employee reveal that **Sharma’s daughter‑in‑law, Neha Gupta (28)** repeatedly urged the former staff member to “take care of the problem” and offered a payment of **₹6 lakh** for the killing. According to the police, Gupta coordinated the hiring of three men, who entered the house disguised as delivery personnel before attacking Sharma. The chats also show Gupta mocking the victim’s attempts to reconcile, saying, “You are smart, are you in a relationship?” – language that investigators say points to pre‑existing animosity. CCTV footage from a nearby market captured the hired men loitering near the Sharma residence moments before the attack, corroborating the digital evidence.

Gupta was detained on Sunday after the police linked her to the murder through the electronic evidence and eyewitness accounts of her presence at a nearby nightclub during the time of the crime. The ex‑employee, identified as **Amit Verma (32)**, has been arrested as an accomplice for facilitating the contract killing. Uttar Pradesh’s Director General of Police, **Alok Kumar Singh**, briefed the media, stating that the case is being prosecuted under sections of the Indian Penal Code covering murder, criminal conspiracy, and use of electronic communication for a criminal purpose. The investigation continues to determine if any additional conspirators were involved, and the court has ordered a forensic audit of the family’s financial transactions to rule out any monetary motive beyond the alleged ₹6 lakh payment.