Priest among 3 held for beating man to death with sticks at crematorium in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar

The victim’s body, bearing visible external injuries, was lying unattended at the crematorium and someone had called the police.

A 37-year-old man was beaten to death with sticks by a priest and two other men at a crematorium in north Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar Monday morning, police said. Jitender was killed for refusing to return the priest’s mobile phone and a few other belongings, Gaurav Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (outer-north district), said.

The body was identified as that of Jitender, a Meerut resident. He had arrived in Delhi last week and was staying at the crematorium with his brother who work there. (Getty Images)

The 23-year-old priest, Sushil (single name), and his associates, Vijender, 24, and Mahipal, 42, were arrested within half-an-hour of the murder coming to the fore, the DCP said. While Vijender is a milk trader, Mahipal is a tailor.

The police received a call about the death around 7am. The victim’s body, bearing visible external injuries, was lying unattended at the crematorium and someone had called the police.

The body was identified as that of Jitender (single name), a Meerut resident. He had arrived in Delhi last week and was staying at the crematorium with his brother who work there.

“During our probe, we got to know that the priest of the crematorium was involved in the murder. We got a tip-off about his hideout and nabbed them within minutes,” the DCP said.

Sushil allegedly told the police that Jitender had borrowed his mobile phone and a few other belongings, but refused to return them. “When the quarrel escalated, Sushil called his friends (Vijender and Mahipal) to help him take on Jitender. Together, they used sticks to beat Jitender to death,” the DCP said.