Man Carries Out Murderous Plot to Fake His Death

An Indian man who was released on parole during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the country's attempt to avoid overwhelming prisons with coronavirus cases is now accused of trying to fake his own death to avoid going back behind bars. Sudesh Kumar, 36, was accused of killing his 13-year-old daughter in 2018 after she eloped, Channel News Asia reports. Convinced he was going to be sent back to jail and ultimately convicted in the crime, authorities say he hired a contractor of similar height and weight to do some work on his home, then got the man drunk, beat him to death with the wooden leg of a bed, and dressed him in his clothes. Kumar is accused of then planting his ID on the body and burning it beyond recognition, the BBC reports.

His wife identified the body as Kumar's, but police say they later got a tip that he was still alive, NDTV reports. They found surveillance footage of Kumar transporting the body on his bike. After receiving a tip that Kumar was to reunite with his wife, police raided their home and found him there, where he reportedly confessed to the whole thing. His wife was also arrested; they are both charged with murder. (More India stories.)