A 52-year-old man was allegedly strangled to death by his friend and two associates near Khandsa Mandi following a dispute over lost earnings from an auto-rickshaw, police said on Monday, adding that two suspects have been arrested while a third remains at large.
Investigators said the suspects allegedly arranged the victim’s body in a sleeping position inside an auto-rickshaw and kept the vehicle parked at a secluded spot near Khandsa Mandi for four to five hours. They later drove nearly nine kilometres to Sector 29, where they dumped the body on a vacant plot covered with dense vegetation near the DLF police station.
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Man allegedly strangled by friend over lost auto-rickshaw earnings
The victim was identified as Arvind Singh Sikarwar, originally from Birla Nagar in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. He had been living with his wife and three children in Heera Nagar, Sector 11, for the past 24 years.
Police identified the arrested suspects as Mukesh Mandal alias Makkad, 37, a native of Darbhanga district in Bihar who lived in Om Nagar, Sector 11, and Ganesh Kumar alias Kallu, 25, originally from Parvatpura in Gwalior and a resident of Heera Nagar.
{{/usCountry}}Police identified the arrested suspects as Mukesh Mandal alias Makkad, 37, a native of Darbhanga district in Bihar who lived in Om Nagar, Sector 11, and Ganesh Kumar alias Kallu, 25, originally from Parvatpura in Gwalior and a resident of Heera Nagar.
{{/usCountry}}A senior police officer said Arvind drove Mukesh’s auto-rickshaw for a private firm but was dismissed from the job allegedly because he frequently arrived late for work.
“He was a habitual substance abuser and often arrived late for work. The firm finally sacked him a month ago and Mukesh lost a fixed earning from his auto-rickshaw. The vehicle has been lying idle for the past several days,” the officer said.
Investigators said Mukesh allegedly held Arvind responsible for the loss of income and also resented him for frequently verbally abusing him.
Two arrested, third suspect on the run
According to police, Arvind left home around 4pm on October 8 after having lunch. Later that evening, he was consuming liquor and snacks with Mukesh and two others near Khandsa Mandi when an argument broke out. Police alleged that Mukesh, with the help of his two associates, strangled Arvind before concealing his body in the auto-rickshaw and subsequently dumping it in Sector 29.
The body was recovered on Friday, October 9. Arvind’s family, which had been searching for him since his disappearance, identified him after reaching the DLF police station on Sunday, police said.
Sandeep Turan, public relations officer of Gurugram police, said an FIR was registered on Monday at the DLF police station on a complaint filed by the victim’s elder brother, Surender Singh, under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“The body has been handed over to the family after autopsy. Further investigation is underway,” he said.
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