Four held for killing canteen owner in Delhi’s Dwarka, chopping up body

Investigators said Gupta was held hostage at the accused couple’s rented flat in Matiala Extension. There, the five suspects tied and gagged him, and assaulted him with sticks the entire night.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has arrested four persons, including a woman, for allegedly killing a 48-year-old business owner in Dwarka area, cutting his body into pieces, packing them in plastic bags, and disposing them off in the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan last month, an official said on Monday.

The victim, Anroop Gupta, who operated a canteen at Dwarka’s Chhattisgarh Bhawan, was abducted on February 18.

The victim, Anroop Gupta, who operated a canteen at Dwarka’s Chhattisgarh Bhawan, was abducted on February 18. The accused allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh as ransom which he refused to pay. Later, he was killed, and robbed of gold ornaments worth lakhs, that he wore, the official said.

According to police, the conspiracy was hatched about a month ago by prime suspect Honey alias Suraj (29), who included his live-in partner Rakhi (21), and three male accomplices – Bhupender (27), Balram (28), and Neeraj, also in his 20s. Except Neeraj, all accused have been arrested.

Investigators said on February 18, Gupta was held hostage at the accused couple’s rented flat in Matiala Extension. There, the five suspects tied and gagged him, and assaulted him with sticks the entire night. The next morning, when Gupta managed to untie himself and tried to flee the flat, he was allegedly stabbed to death.

After killing Gupta, the accused removed nine gold rings, one chain, and a bracelet from his body, police said.

While Balram and Neeraj left with some stolen gold, Honey, Rakhi and Bhupender allegedly chopped up Gupta’s body using a machete purchased from a local ironsmith. The pieces were stuffed into three plastic bags, taken to Vrindavan in Gupta’s Kia Seltos car, and dumped into the river in the early hours of February 20, said joint commissioner of police (western range) Jatin Narwal.

“Honey and Rakhi had been living in the flat for the past eight months. He is the prime conspirator. He had befriended Gupta a year ago while visiting the Chhattisgarh Bhawan canteen in Dwarka Sector 13. Honey conspired to kill Gupta for his gold ornaments and cash,” Narwal said, adding that he promised his four accomplices a share of the loot.

Police said Gupta loved wearing gold rings and bracelets. He didn’t live with his family members, wife and two children, and stayed with a woman at a high-rise society in Dwarka Sector 14. He often partied and went on vacations with friends.

On February 23, Gupta’s siblings, Pawan and Swati, lodged a complaint at Dwarka North police station, stating he had been missing since February 18 and his Kia Seltos car, bearing Haryana’s registration number, was also untraceable. The family denied any previous enmity or dispute.

HT contacted Gupta’s siblings but they refused to comment.

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said the police team formed to find Gupta first approached the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and obtained the car’s FAStag details which confirmed that the vehicle had travelled on the Yamuna Expressway, to Vrindavan and returned to Noida within a few hours on the intervening night of February 19 and 20.

The team scanned CCTV footage of Chhattisgarh Bhawan and found that Gupta had left his car there and taken a Rapido bike around 6.30 pm on February 18. The Rapido rider told police that he dropped Gupta outside a house in Matiala Extension’s B-block.

CCTV footage confirmed Gupta entering the building but wasn’t seen coming out. Four men were also seen entering the building after him. Further scanning showed Gupta’s car enter the building’s basement on February 19 around 9 am and leave 10 minutes later, Singh said.

Police said CCTV also showed the accused using a scoter registered in the name of Happy, a resident of Haryana’s Hisar. He was taken into custody from a flat in Uttam Nagar on February 27. He confessed to the crime and his interrogation led to the arrest of his live-in partner and two other accused from Haryana. The body parts were recovered from the river on February 28.

Their interrogation revealed that on February 18, Honey lured Gupta to his flat on the pretext of a party. When he arrived, he was held hostage and asked to pay ransom which he refused, and later killed for his ornaments.

“After killing Gupta, the accused didn’t switch off his mobile phone but kept it in the car to mislead police. They sent a message from the victim’s phone to the staff of the Chattisgarh Bhawan canteen to close it. Another message was sent to the victim’s family members stating he was going on vacation to Goa and should not be disturbed,” DCP Singh said.