Ghaziabad: Brother-duo, accomplice arrested for murder of travel operator

An autopsy was conducted and it found injuries on the body, which forensic doctors who conducted the autopsy stated, “were sufficient to cause death”

The police on Thursday arrested a brother duo and another suspect on charges of murdering a 48-year-old travel operator over a minor altercation and dumping his body in Sonepat, Haryana, on June 21.

On the way to Delhi, the four men consumed alcohol and a verbal altercation ensued among them over some past issue, and the brother duo and Adil allegedly beat up the victim in the car at two places, causing him to collapse. (HT Photo)

Senior police officers said a search is on to trace an absconding suspect.

The police identified the deceased as Chandra Bhan, a resident of Tronica City who hailed from Madhya Pradesh. He had employed Mohammad Farukh, 30, as a driver to operate his cabs.

The police said Bhan on June 21 was on his way to Delhi to get his Wagon-R car repaired. He took along Farukh, his brother Mohammad Shahrukh, 26, and car mechanic Adil Mohammad, 28.

The brother duo resides in Pooja Colony while Adil is a resident of Rashid Ali Gate in Loni.

“On the way to Delhi, the four men consumed alcohol and a verbal altercation ensued between them over some past issue. The brother duo and Adil beat up the victim in the car on the roadside near Soniya Vihar and also near Alipur in Delhi. As a result of the repeated beating, Bhan collapsed. Fearing that they might be caught, the three drove the car to Sonepat, Haryana, and dumped the body there,” said Suryabali Maurya, assistant commissioner of police, Loni.

Police said the three men returned to Loni the same evening and left the car near Soniya Vihar in Delhi. Thereafter, they reached Bhan’s house and told his family they left Bhan and his car in Delhi around 1pm on June 21.

“After failing to locate Bhan, his family approached the Ghaziabad police. They told police that the deceased went to Delhi along with the three men. A police team traced the mobile location of the victim and finally reached Sonepat on June 22. In the meantime, the body of the victim was already discovered by Haryana Police. Our team contacted them and the body was handed over to the family after identification,” Maurya said.

The police said an autopsy was conducted and it found injuries on the body, which forensic doctors who conducted the autopsy stated, “were sufficient to cause death”.

The police finally nabbed the brother duo for questioning and they broke down before the police and admitted to the crime. They were formally arrested under Indian Penal Code sections 302/34 (murder with common intention) and 201 (destruction of evidence), officials said.

The ACP also said the car of the deceased man was also recovered from near Zero Pushta, Soniya Vihar in Delhi.