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Delhi man kills friend, dumps body in drain; nabbed after ransom call
The victim lived with his wife, two-year-old daughter and parents at their home in south Delhi’s Madangir
An MBA graduate shot and killed his 32-year-old friend in his car in Dwarka early last month, stuffed his body in a suitcase, and dumped it in a drain before making ransom calls to his family in a bid to mislead investigators, the Delhi Police said on Thursday after arresting the suspect.
While the accused told police that he killed the victim for demanding sexual favours from him, officers said that they were yet to ascertain who was actually harassing whom.
“The ransom calls were meant to divert the police’s attention from the murder,” said Chandan Chowdhary, deputy commissioner of police (south).
The victim lived with his wife, two-year-old daughter and parents at their home in south Delhi’s Madangir. His wife said that he was an unemployed graphic designer who was looking for a job.
On June 20, the victim met the accused, who belongs to Bihar and completed his MBA from a university in Delhi earlier this year, the officer said. “Both were searching for jobs and became friends after meeting at a party,” the officer added. The DCP said that the two would also attend LGBTQ parties, and the accused asked the victim to give him his resume to help him find a job.
On the morning of July 9, the victim left his home telling his family that he was going to Moolchand for a job interview.
“He left with his resume at 10.30am. I called him around 12.40pm to ask if he had lunch. His phone was switched off,” said the victim’s mother.
When the victim didn’t return home that night, his family registered a missing complaint at the Ambedkar Nagar police station on July 10.
“The police told us that he was an adult and would eventually return home. If they had searched for him properly, he could have been saved,” said the victim’s brother.
Police, however, said that the victim was killed the day he left home. They said the victim met the accused somewhere in Moolchand from where they drove to Dwarka, bought pizza and beer, and drove to secluded spot in Dwarka Sector 14.
“The accused held a grudge against the victim over seeking sexual favours. The accused, who was carrying a gun with him, shot the victim dead,” the DCP said.
Another investigator, not asked not to be named, said they were trying to establish who was seeking favours from whom.
“There was the angle of sexual demands in the murder. But who was pressuring whom is yet to be ascertained,” said the investigator.
After the murder, the accused allegedly stuffed the body in a suitcase and drove it to a drain in Dwarka Sector 14 to dump it there, said the DCP. He later cleaned his car and threw the bloodstained objects in the Yamuna, the officer added.
DCP Chowdhary said the accused had a sound understanding of legal issues, and checked the police website to realise that the victim’s family has lodged a missing person’s case. “When he realised that the disappearance has become a police case, the accused made ransom calls to the victim’s family,” the officer said.
The first call was made on the evening of July 14. “The caller demanded ₹20 lakh, but the victim’s father negotiated for ₹15 lakh,” the officer said.
On July 15, the victim’s family alerted the police which registered a case of kidnapping for ransom.
“In the subsequent calls, the caller would disconnect before the family could seek evidence that the victim was alive,” the DCP said. The number from which the calls were made was issued in Bihar, and the caller’s location was Noida.
The family was asked to visit Palika Bazar on July 17 to hand over the money but he did not arrive. Police then focused on the victim’s social media accounts and bank statements.
On July 12, ₹27,000 was withdrawn using the victim’s two ATM cards in Noida, the officer said. The suspect had covered masked with a mask and helmet.
He was then traced to New Ashok Nagar in east Delhi. “In the early hours of Wednesday, we picked up the suspect from his home. He first tried to mislead us, but later confessed to the crime,” the officer said.
