Poisoned man records dying declaration on phone

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As he lay gasping for breath, Pankaj Kumar recorded an 80-second video of his "dying declaration", naming all those who had poisoned him. The incident took place in Saharanpur on Wednesday and the alleged accused are his own family members. Pankaj's body was found in a field around the same place where he is believed to have shot the video.

Munendra Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Saharanpur's Kotwali Dehat, said, "Pankaj's aunt, her two daughters and daughter-in-law have been booked. Cause of the death is yet uncertain and viscera samples have been preserved for further examination."

The SHO said that prima facie, it appears to be a case of family dispute. Pankaj, in his early 20s, was living in her aunt's house for the past four years. In the video, Pankaj can also be heard pleading for justice and demanding that his body be cremated only after people behind poisoning him are booked.

"I am putting out this video on Facebook. I request the police department to book all those who did this to me before cremating my body," Pankaj is heard saying in his hoarse voice, even as he ran short of breath.

After the video surfaced on social media platforms on Thursday, the police took cognizance and a FIR was registered at Sarsawan police station in Saharanpur. It was later transferred to Kotwali Dehat police station.

Saharanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Bhatnagar said, "A case of murder has been registered at Kotwali Dehat police station and a probe has been launched."

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