A physiotherapist used three chemical substances — Midazolam, Fortuin and Phenergan easily available in chemist and markets in combination — to kill Ravi Kumar, a 27-year-old cashier working in a private bank in North Delhi on Sunday evening in full public view.
The qualified physiotherapist, who has been arrested, was hired by a 30-year-old man to kill husband of his childhood love in order to marry her.
According to Dr KK Aggrawal, president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), these chemicals are not harmful if administered separately but become highly lethal once mixed in right proportions.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Jatin Narwal, said the accused, Prem Kumar, confessed to injecting the neurotoxins to the victim.
The chemicals were purchased from the chemist shops of prominent hospitals and police teams are trying to identify the chemists who sold these lethal chemicals to the physiotherapist, the DCP said.
Each chemical has properties which is used to treatment, said the doctor. While Midazolam is a medication used for anaesthesia, procedural sedation, trouble in sleeping and severe agitation, the other two substances — Fortuiun, also known as Pentazocine, is a painkiller and Phenergan, used to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting related to certain conditions, these three are usually available on prescription.
“We have appealed to the government to put a stop to the supply of these chemicals,” said Aggrawal. Apart from the easy access to these chemicals, it is possible that the accused, a physiotherapist himself could have allegedly got access to the substances through unfair means. It was a meticulously planned murder as the accused injected the victim on the triangular side of the neck. He inserted the syringe with clinical to paralyse the nervous system, said a police official tasked to investigate this sensational murder case.