Rickshaw puller killed for ₹60 and his rickshaw; two arrested

Jiban Mazumdar's body was shifted to a nearby government hospital mortuary and a murder case was registered at the New Ashok Nagar police station. Since his identity was unknown, the investigating team showed his photographs to people in the areas near the spot from where the body was recovered.

A 55-year-old rickshaw puller was murdered allegedly by two men who then made off with ₹60 and his cycle rickshaw from east Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave, the police said on Monday. Police said the two suspects have been arrested and the stolen rickshaw has been recovered, as well as the knife that they had allegedly used to slit the rickshaw puller’s throat on January 14.

On January 16, the man’s identity was established as Jiban Mazumdar, a rickshaw puller, said DCP Yadav. (Representative photo)

The rickshaw puller’s body, with the throat slit and head badly smashed with a stone, was found in the bushes of a vacant plot near a private school in Vasundhara Enclave on January 15, said deputy commissioner of police (east) Deepak Yadav.

The man’s body was shifted to a nearby government hospital mortuary and a murder case was registered at the New Ashok Nagar police station. Since the man’s identity was unknown, the investigating team showed his photographs to people in the areas near the spot from where the body was recovered. On January 16, the man’s identity was established as Jiban Mazumdar, a rickshaw puller, said DCP Yadav.

“Further probe revealed that Mazumdar’s rickshaw and his wallet were missing. The CCTV cameras installed near the spot helped us locate Mazumdar’s rickshaw -- it was some distance away from the place where his body was found,” he said.

Investigators said the footage from more cameras was examined and in one, two suspects were seen abandoning the rickshaw. Though local inquiry, one of them was identified as Chhotan Singh, a 24-year-old fish seller. Singh was taken into custody and during the interrogation, he admitted to killing the man. His revelations led to the arrest of his friend Dilip Haldar,20, the second suspect, said an investigator, requesting anonymity.

“The duo revealed that on the night of January 14, they lured Mazumdar to the vacant plot on the pretext of having a party. The two overpowered him, slit his throat and crushed his head with a stone to hide his identity. They stole his wallet containing Rs.60 and the rickshaw, which was their prime motive for the murder,” Yadav said.

Police said Haldar is a drug addict and has been previously involved in five theft cases, all registered at the New Ashok Nagar police station.