The persons who killed police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh in Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh on Monday may have fled with his licensed pistol and mobile phones after the incident. Singh and a civilian were killed in the violence that erupted on Monday after police were deployed to Mahaw village to control villagers who were angry after allegedly discovering multiple cow carcasses.

According to a first information report accessed by Scroll.in, Singh’s licensed gun and three mobile phones – including one with the SIM card issued to him by the government – were missing when he was taken to a hospital. The police have yet to recover them.

The inspector was the investigating officer in the Dadri lynching case for a couple of months in 2015, and was the Siyani Police Station house officer when he was killed.

Unidentified police officials, who are eyewitnesses in the case, said a mob surrounded Singh’s car around 1.30 pm on Monday. When the mob reportedly opened fire at the inspector, his driver escorted him to the official vehicle and drove into an open field. The vehicle got stuck in the field, which was less than 50 metres away from the police post, and the driver reportedly left the car to get help.

He saw Singh’s lifeless body after returning to the spot with more police officials. A mob then reportedly chased the police and snatched their wireless set to stop them from calling for reinforcements. One police personnel who was at the site managed to secure himself in a nearby control room and sent a message calling for help. The mob torched Singh’s vehicle.

The police had initially said that the inspector died of a blunt injury on the forehead received during the stone pelting. But, during the autopsy doctors spotted an exit wound at the back of his head and concluded that he was gunned down. Singh’s driver, however, could not confirm when Singh was shot. The police are yet to ascertain if Singh’s killers used his own gun to kill him.

Earlier on Tuesday, the state police arrested three people and detained four for questioning in connection with the violence.

The police have registered two first information reports – one related to the alleged cow slaughter and the second detailing the violence that followed. According to the police, the main accused in the violence case – a suspected Hindutva activist identified as Yogesh Raj – is the complainant in the cow slaughter case.

The FIR registered in connection with the violence has identified at least 27 people and includes 17 charges such as arson, rioting, vandalism, assaulting public officers and murder. Senior Superintendent of Police (Bulandshahr) KB Singh told Scroll.in that 35 locations in two villages have been searched and six police teams are conducting inquiries.

Police inspector’s sister alleges conspiracy

Meanwhile, Singh’s sister alleged his killing was part of a conspiracy by the police, ANI reported. “My brother was investigating [the] Akhlaq case [and] that is why he was killed,” she said, adding that her family does not want money as compensation and that the chief minister was only focused on the cow. “CM only keeps saying cow, cow, cow,” she said.

Adityanath has announced Rs 40-lakh compensation for Subodh Kumar Singh’s wife, Rs 10 lakh for his parents and a government job for a family member.