A 48-year-old man was allegedly murdered by his friends and chopped into pieces before his body was thrown into Delhi’s Yamuna River. The brutal and pre-planned attack was reportedly carried out after the victim refused to hand over money, police said on Monday (March 2).
Four people, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the crime that took place on February 18. One accused, however, is still at large, according to local reports. The prime accused, Happy alias Suraj (29), had become friends with Anroop Gupta, who managed a canteen at Chhattisgarh Sadan in Delhi, India, about a year ago. Suraj had noticed that Gupta regularly wore gold jewellery and had also learned that he lived separately from his family, police said.
On February 18, Suraj invited Mr Gupta for a party at his rented room in Matiala Extension, a densely populated residential area in West Delhi. When Mr Gupta reached the flat, he was allegedly tied up with ropes and assaulted with sticks by Suraj and his associates. They demanded money from him, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said.
Gupta reportedly told them that his gold rings and bracelet were kept inside his SUV, which was parked at Chhattisgarh Sadan. The accused then took the car keys, brought the vehicle to Matiala and removed the jewellery. Police said that when Gupta refused to give them more money, the group beat him again and stabbed him to death.
“In a shocking act of brutality, Happy procured a big knife (machete) and cut the body into pieces. The body parts were packed in three plastic bags. Transported the bags by using Gupta’s SUV and disposed of them in the Yamuna River near Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh,” DCP Singh said.
*** Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. ***
Police said the accused tried to redirect suspicion by leaving Mr Gupta’s mobile phone inside the car and keeping it switched on. Messages were sent from his phone to the canteen staff, asking them to shut the outlet and return home. Another message was sent to Gupta’s family, claiming he was travelling to Goa for a holiday and should not be disturbed.
The crime surfaced after Gupta’s family lodged a missing person complaint at Dwarka North police station on February 23, when they could not contact him and his SUV also went missing.
“After the missing report, a dedicated team was formed under the supervision of senior officers to trace the missing man. The team cracked the blind murder case with the help of technical and manual intelligence in a proactive manner,” the DCP said.
“Based on the evidence, a case was registered at Bindapur police station. The details were also shared with the police in Uttar Pradesh. Following coordinated efforts with police in Mathura district, the mutilated body parts were recovered from the Yamuna river,” the officer said.
During questioning, Suraj allegedly admitted to planning the murder along with his associates – Bhupender, Balram, Neeraj and his live-in partner Rakhi. Police have arrested Bhupender, Balram and Rakhi. However, Neeraj has absconded, with efforts underway to trace and arrest him, officials added.