Meerut, Aug. 2 -- Bareilly Police unearthed a cold-blooded murder committed by a man who killed his wife in a premeditated manner and tried to pass it off as a highway robbery. The incident occurred late Wednesday night when the accused, Om Saran Maurya, was returning from his in-laws' house after visiting the Purnagiri shrine with his wife. Within 15 hours of the incident, Bareilly Police exposed the conspiracy, with the accused eventually confessing to the crime. According to police, Om Saran, a resident of Byoli village in Wazirganj police station area of Budaun and a decoration business operator, murdered his wife Amarwati, 35, on the Aonla-Wazirganj road. Initially, he told police and family members that unidentified miscreants attacked them, attempted to rob them, and killed his wife when they resisted. Om Saran called his wife's brother, Bhagwan Das, and his friend Anil Yadav around 12:15 am, urging them to rush to the Aonla-Wazirganj road, claiming that 6-7 miscreants had intercepted their bike near Usaita village. According to his narrative, the attackers attempted to loot them and fatally attacked his wife during the scuffle. Anil Yadav immediately contacted the Aonla Police and the UP 112 emergency response unit. When police reached the scene, they found Om Saran with torn clothes, scratches on his chest, and redness around his ribs. Amarwati's blood-soaked body was found lying on the road nearby. Om Saran accompanied police to the Aonla police station, where he lodged an FIR blaming unknown attackers for the murder and alleging robbery of cash and jewellery. However, the probe soon began to poke holes in Om Saran's story. Forensic teams found inconsistencies and crucial clues - most significantly, jewellery and cash reportedly "looted" were found barely 50 meters from the crime scene. SP South Anshika Verma revealed that Om Saran was in a relationship with another woman, a beauty parlour owner in Bareilly, and may have committed the murder at her behest. The murder weapon - a curved blade (banka) - was the same that Om had brought from his brother-in-law, citing protection from "criminals." Confronted with the mounting evidence, Om Saran confessed to the crime. He admitted that he killed his wife to clear the way for a future with his lover. The accused will be produced in court on Friday. SSP Anurag Arya has announced a reward of Rs.25,000 for the joint team of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and local police....