Ragpicker held for the murder of an auto-rickshaw driver

The police on Thursday night arrested a 33-year-old man from Sector 104 for allegedly murdering an auto-rickshaw driver on January 21 by smashing his head and hiding his body in a tank

The police on Thursday night arrested a 33-year-old man from Sector 104 for allegedly murdering an auto-rickshaw driver on January 21 by smashing his head and hiding his body in a tank.

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The police said the suspect, Suhag Hussain alias Raheem, who hails from Goalpara in Assam, lives in a slum in Dhamwapur in Sector 104 and works as a ragpicker. Last month, he allegedly had an argument with the auto-rickshaw driver, Sonu. He allegedly wanted to take revenge on him and invited Sonu for drinks and dinner near a liquor shop in Sector 33. He then allegedly killed him with sticks and stones and threw the body in a tank in a vacant plot.

The police said the murder came to light when passersby reported a foul smell coming from the vacant plot. The locals went to the tank and discovered the body. One of the passersby called the police control room (PCR).

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that they called in forensic experts, dog squad, and crime team to visit the spot and collect samples. “Samples were taken, pictures were clicked and family members were called in. We scanned all his call details and questioned his friends and family members, following which, we identified the suspect and arrested him based on his call detail records and location,” he said.

Sangwan said the deceased lived with his mother in Sector 33. He used to ferry passengers in his auto-rickshaw between Huda City Centre Metro station and Badshahpur. His younger brother Satish (25), who also drives an auto-rickshaw between Subhash Chowk and the same Metro station, had complained to the police after his brother did not return home on the night of the alleged murder, said the police.

The family alleged that he had no personal enmity with anyone and had never had any dispute with anyone except for Hussain. “We had no clue that Hussain could be behind the murder as, when he lived in our neighbourhood, he had most of his meals with us at our house. He was my brother’s best friend but after an altercation, he vacated his room and shifted to another area,” said Satish Kumar, the brother of the deceased.

The suspect was sent to judicial custody on Friday, said the police.