3 held for murdering man in NE Delhi

The victim was stabbed at least six times in his chest and hands close to his home in Milan Garden. He was initially spotted bleeding by his wife, who raised an alarm and sought a neighbour’s help to take him to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries

New Delhi: Three days after a 40-year-old man was stabbed to death in a street in Milan Garden near Harsh Vihar in northeast Delhi, the Delhi Police on Friday said that the man was murdered for resisting the theft of his mobile phone. Three men were arrested from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana within two hours of the murder on Wednesday, police said.

The stolen mobile phone of the deceased, identified as Jagat Pal, and a button-actuated knife that was used to stab him were recovered from the accused, who were arrested within hours of the murder. (Representational Image)

The victim was stabbed at least six times in his chest and hands close to his home in Milan Garden. He was initially spotted bleeding by his wife, who raised an alarm and sought a neighbour’s help to take him to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

The arrested trio, who use single names, were identified as Suraj, 20, Rohit,19, and Major,18, all residents of Harsh Vihar. The stolen mobile phone of the deceased, identified as Jagat Pal, and a button-actuated knife that was used to stab him were recovered from the accused.

Deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Joy Tirkey said that the trio had murdered Pal to get hold of his mobile phone which they wanted to sell and make easy money.

The DCP said that at about 11pm on Tuesday, Pal’s neighbour, Babloo Kumar, informed the police control room about the stabbing at Milan Garden. A police team reached the crime scene and learnt that the injured man had been taken to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital by his neighbours. Pal succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the hospital. His mobile phone was missing.

A case of murder and robbery was registered at the Harsh Vihar police station and investigation was taken up. Pal worked as a labourer at a factory in Uttar Pradesh. He was walking towards his residence when he was stabbed to death by unidentified men at about 10.30pm on Tuesday.

“Multiple teams from the Harsh Vihar police station and the district’s special staff were formed to solve the case and nab the killers. The teams scanned CCTV footage around the crime scene and zeroed in on three unidentified men whose movement seemed suspicious around the time when the crime happened. Through technical as well as manual intelligence gathering, the suspects were identified. The police teams went to their homes but found them missing,” the DCP said.

Further investigation revealed that two suspects could be found at their hideout in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. They were traced to Shalimar Garden in Ghaziabad. Two suspects identified as Rohit and Major were arrested from Shalimar Garden, police said adding their interrogation led to the arrest of Suraj from his hideout in Haryana’s Sonepat, two hours after the other two culprits were held.

“Their interrogation revealed that they were school dropouts and unemployed. To meet their daily expenses, they committed petty crimes. On Tuesday night, the three men spotted Pal walking alone on an isolated street in Milan Vihar. They immediately cornered him after showing him a knife and robbed him of his mobile phone. Pal resisted the robbery, following which Suraj stabbed him multiple times with the knife and all three fled with his phone,” added the DCP.