Six years after murdering friend in Delhi, man held in Meerut

25-year-old Mohammad Samir, who was accused of killing a friend in northeast Delhi in 2017, was working as a loader in Meerut, when he was arrested last week

Five years, three cities, a new identity, and finally an arrest.

The victim and the four accused were employed in private companies in Delhi at the time. A week after the crime was committed, they were all arrested. (Representational image)

On Monday, the Delhi Police said they have arrested a 25-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut , who had been on the run since he secured bail after he — along with three others — was accused of killing a friend by crushing his head with a stone, before chopping it off, and setting the body on fire at Yamuna Khadar in northeast Delhi’s Khajoori in 2017.

Mohammad Samir was working as a loader in Meerut, when he was arrested last week by the Shahdara district police.

DCP (Shahdara) Rohit Meena said, “He absconded after he got bail, and since then he has been moving from one place to another. First, he went to Chandpur village in UP’s Bijnor, then he moved to Loni near Ghaziabad, and then finally Noor Nagar in Meerut.”

The DCP said Samir also changed his name to Mustafa. He tried to change his appearance by growing a beard, and maintained a low profile, said the DCP. In July this year, Samir aka Mustafa got married.

Police said Samir, his brother Mohammad Adil, and friends Sudhir Kumar and Dinesh Kumar allegedly killed Rajesh (a common friend, known by a single name) on January 29, 2017, as the victim had raised objections to accused Sudhir allegedly being in a relationship with his wife.

DCP Meena said, “The victim had altercations with Sudhir, and used to scold his wife for being close to him. Sudhir decided to kill Rajesh as he was the only hurdle in their relationship. Sudhir conspired with his friends to kill Rajesh. They invited Rajesh near Khajoori flyover for drinks. When Rajesh was heavily drunk, the four dragged him to Yamuna Khadar area, crushed his head and face with stones. After Rajesh died, they severed his head and put his torso on fire.” 

The victim and the four accused were employed in private companies in Delhi at the time. A week after the crime was committed, they were all arrested.

Samir secured bail in the case but absconded. The court declared him a “proclaimed offender”. A team of Geeta Colony police station -- dedicated to nabbing proclaimed offenders -- tracked him down to Noor Nagar in Meerut after they spoke to “the man who gave Samir’s bail surety in the court”. Meena said, “That person gave a phone number which was put under surveillance, leading to Samir’s arrest. He had been in Meerut for roughly two years, and used to drive e-rickshaw before he started working as a labourer.”