Cabbie stabbed to death in Delhi after refusing late-night joyride; 3 minors among accused

The attackers fled with his cab, leaving him bleeding in a wooded patch, where his body was found nearly five hours later, said police.

A 27-year-old cab driver was stabbed to death under the Barapullah flyover near Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station early Wednesday, allegedly by four people – including three minors – after he refused to take them on a late-night joyride to India Gate, police said on Friday.

Police said the four had been drinking while celebrating Imran’s birthday and decided to go to India Gate.

The attackers fled with his cab, leaving him bleeding in a wooded patch, where his body was found nearly five hours later.

A passerby spotted the body around 8am while going behind the bushes to urinate and alerted the police control room, said deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Hemant Tiwari. The victim was identified as Kuldeep, also known as Ram Singh, a native of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, through documents recovered from his pockets. Singh drove his Maruti Suzuki Dzire as a cab for aggregator platforms. Police said he usually slept in his vehicle.

Police teams searched the area after the body was found, but the cab was missing. A case of murder was registered at Hazrat Nizamuddin police station. Multiple teams were formed, and more than 500 CCTV cameras in and around the area were examined. Footage showed Singh near a public toilet in Bhogal shortly before the crime, with four people also seen nearby.

Investigators identified the suspects, of which one adult, Mohammad Imran alias Panwadi, was arrested, and three boys aged 16 to 17 were apprehended. Police said the four led them to the spot in Jangpura where they abandoned the stolen cab. The knife used in the crime was also recovered. All four have been booked for murder and vehicle theft. Police said further investigation is underway.

Tiwari said the four had been drinking while celebrating Imran’s birthday and decided to go to India Gate. They came across Singh’s parked cab near the toilet and began banging on it. Singh, who had stepped into the bushes to urinate, shouted at them not to hit his vehicle. An argument followed when the group demanded that he drive them to India Gate and he refused.

Police said the confrontation escalated, and the group stabbed Singh multiple times before driving away in his car. They allegedly roamed around for several hours before dumping the vehicle and dispersing.