Delhi: Two held for stabbing to death two homeless men sleeping on the footpath

The murder took place around 3am, allegedly over a dispute about ₹50 and also because the slain duo used to bully one of the suspects. Both suspects were arrested within two hours of the crime, the police said

Two homeless were stabbed to death in their sleep in south Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin area in the early hours of Tuesday allegedly by two men, who also live on pavements in the neighbourhood, police said. Both of them were stabbed five to six times in their neck, police said.

The police said all four homeless men worked as daily wagers. (Picture for representation only)

The murder took place around 3am, allegedly over a dispute about ₹50 and also because the slain duo used to bully one of the suspects. Both suspects, Jugnu, 27, and Sonu, 28, were arrested within two hours of the crime, the police said.

“Jugnu told us that the two men had borrowed ₹50 from him some days ago and were not returning it. Whenever he demanded his money back, they used to threaten and ridicule him. While the dead men lived under the Barapullah flyway, Jugnu and Sonu lived on pavements of Masjid Road in Hazrat Nizamuddin. The knife used in the crime has been recovered,” said a police officer, associated with the case.

Deputy commissioner of police (south) Esha Pandey said the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station received a call early Tuesday about two persons lying on a footpath, bleeding from stab wounds to their necks. A police team reached there and rushed them to AIIMS, where they were declared brought dead. A case of murder was registered and investigation was taken up.

During local inquiries, the police found four eyewitnesses at the spot. They helped the police identify the deceased as Mayur Thomas,40, and Lokesh Bahadur,40. “They were homeless and lived on footpaths. The witnesses also identified the suspects. Our teams searched the neighbourhood and arrested them within two hours of the murders,” she said.

The police said all four homeless men worked as daily wagers. “On Monday night, Jugnu met the duo and asked for his money. They assaulted and humiliated him in the presence of other homeless persons. Jugnu went to his friend Sonu and told him about the incident. Sonu took a knife and around two hours later both of them returned to the footpath, where Thomas and Bahadur were sleeping. They attacked and killed them in their sleep before fleeing,” the officer said.