In a gruesome crime in the City of Taj, a woman and her three children were brutally murdered in Kucha Sadhuram area in Kotwali police station area and the incident came to light on Thursday morning.

After being informed by neighbours, top police officers rushed to the spot and later quizzed the woman's husband who lived separately.

As per reports, Rekha Rathore (36) of Kucha Sadhuram separated from her husband, Sunil Rathore, two years back after which the estranged husband started living in Maithan. Rekha lived with her three children Tuktuk (12), Paras (10) and Mahi (8).

On Thursday morning, around 9 am, the neighbours saw the door of Rekha's house ajar. When they went inside to enquire, they found to their horror the bodies of Rekha and her children lying in pools of blood on the room floor. They immediately raised an alarm and called the local police.

After preliminary investigation, the police maintained that Rekha and the three children were murdered by slitting their throats with a sharp-edged weapon. The police said that the cabinets in the room were open and her belongings were scattered on the floor. The victim and her children were last seen on Wednesday afternoon.

The role of a tantric was also being enquired behind the gruesome murders as sliced lemons and a plate of worship was found in the room. The police are scanning CCTV cameras installed in the area.

Later, the canine squad was pressed into service to pick up a scent but nothing positive came out. A forensic team also visited the site for collecting any possible evidence.

Police are also trying to figure out the identity of visitors to the woman's house. Her husband was also detained for questioning.

Meanwhile, the mastermind in the kidnapping of an Agra surgeon, was killed in an encounter in the city on Thursday.

Surgeon Dr Umakant Gupta was honey trapped by a woman and later kidnapped by notorious criminal Badan Singh and taken to Dholpur in Rajasthan on July 13. A demand for a ransom of Rs 5 crore was also made to the victim’s family for his release. However, a joint team of Agra Police and Rajasthan Police rescued Dr Gupta from the ravines of Chambal valley in Dholpur on July 15.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Agra, Muniraj G, said that prime accused Badan Singh and one of his aides were shot dead in an encounter with police in the forests of Kachhpura under Basai Jagner police station area of Agra rural on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. “Two persons riding on a motorcycle were asked to stop for checking but they sped away. They were chased by policemen and the cops in nearby outposts and police stations were alerted.

Superintendent of Police (West Agra Rural), Satyajeet Gupta, along with police teams of other police stations reached the spot and began following the riders. They later entered the jungle of Kachhpura and one of them opened fire on the police.  The police then retaliated in self-defence and when the firing stopped, it was found that both accused were injured and were rushed to CHC Kheragarh. They were later referred to SN Medical College in Agra where both were pronounced dead by doctors. One of them was later identified as Badan Singh, who was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh for his arrest. The identity of the second deceased was yet to be ascertained, Muniraj told reporters.

Badan Singh was involved in the kidnapping of three persons in the past as well. Two other accused in the surgeon’s kidnapping case -- Pawan and Anjali Meena aka Sandhya aka Mangala -- were arrested earlier.