Man killed for asking directions to cigarette shop in outer Delhi

A 29-year-old man was killed and his cousin critically wounded after they were allegedly stabbed by a group of inebriated men who did not like their “tone” when asking directions for a cigarette shop in outer Delhi

A 29-year-old man was killed and his cousin critically wounded after they were allegedly stabbed by a group of inebriated men who did not like their “tone” when asking directions for a cigarette shop in outer Delhi’s Vijay Vihar, the police said.

The deceased victim was identified by the police only by his first name Rahul. He was a resident of south Delhi’s Ber Sarai area and worked at private firm, DCP Gupta said. (Representative Photo)

The four suspects, one of whom was a juvenile, were caught within hours of the murder that took place around 1.30 am on Sunday, said Rajneesh Gupta, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini).

The deceased victim was identified by the police only by his first name Rahul. He was a resident of south Delhi’s Ber Sarai area and worked at private firm, DCP Gupta said.

According to the DCP, Rahul was visiting his 28-year-old cousin Naveen in Vijay Vihar when the crime took place. “They had a small party at home and had drinks. Around 1.30am, the cousins walked out of their home to purchase cigarettes,” said the officer.

As they looked around for a cigarette shop, they came across four men who were drinking outside. When Rahul asked them for directions to a shop that would be open at that time, the other group allegedly did not like his “tone and body language”.

The assailants then fled the spot, leaving the two men bleeding on the road. A police call was made around 2.30pm when a passerby spotted the injured men lying unconscious on the road. They were rushed to a hospital where Rahul was declared brought dead, the police said.

The DCP said that the suspects were nabbed within the next couple of hours. The adult accused men are aged between 18 and 23.

According to the DCP, the two cousins were employed at the Jawaharlal Nehru University. “The deceased worked on ad-hoc basis in the malaria department of JNU. His injured cousin Naveen is a lab assistant at the university”, said the officer.

According to Delhi Police statistics, nearly one in every five people murdered in Delhi
last year were over “sudden provocations” or “trivial issues”.