Gurugram vendor murder: Suspect held grudge over abusive argument over ₹3,200; killed vendor
A day after the police arrested a 22-year-old delivery executive for allegedly murdering the vendor of an online shopping company, the suspect told the police that a day before the murder (November 21) he had had an argument with the vendor over a debt of ₹3,200. Miffed, the suspect had allegedly struck the vendor’s head with a rod and strangulated him on Friday.
The police said the suspect was also aware that cash collected the previous day was kept in the office. After allegedly murdering the vendor, the suspect allegedly stole ₹31,000 out of the ₹50,000 kept in the office and escaped on his motorcycle. On Monday, the police had said that, as per a preliminary probe, the motive for the crime was greed.
The suspect, Chandan, who was arrested on Sunday from MG Road by a team of Sector 53 crime branch, has a criminal history. He was arrested in 2018 in a case of theft, but later released on bail. The deceased—identified as Ravi Kumar, 23, a native of Sitamarhi, Bihar—was found lying on the floor of his office on Friday morning around 7.45am with blood oozing from his head. He had leased an office in U Block in DLF Phase-3.
Assistant commissioner of police (crime) Preet Pal Sangwan said that Kumar asked Chandan to pay ₹3,200 to settle a debt and there was an argument between the two over this issue on Thursday.
“Chandan held a grudge because of the exchange of words with the victim had become abusive and he decided to kill Kumar. On Friday morning, he reached the office in DLF Phase 3, but found the office locked. He waited at a tea kiosk in the same lane as the office and roamed around on his motorcycle. Around 6.30am, the victim reached the office on his motorcycle. Minutes later, Chandan went to the office and hit Kumar with a steel rod,” the ACP said. The police added that Kumar was also beaten and strangled with the rod.
An autopsy, conducted on Saturday, had found multiple injuries on his body suggesting signs of struggle.
A police officer privy to the investigation, requesting anonymity, said the suspect stole ₹31,000 from the collection money and a laptop kept in the victim’s office. “Chandan was aware that the previous day’s collections were kept in the office and had not been deposited in the bank as yet,” the police officer said, adding that the stolen items were yet to be recovered.
The police relied on footage recovered from CCTVs installed in the neighbourhood to identify and nab the suspect. The CCTV in front of the house, where the incident took place, was defunct. However, in one of the CCTVs of the neighbourhood, the suspect could be seen repeatedly crossing the lane on his motorcycle.
“The suspect was among several delivery boys who were questioned. He confessed to the crime,” a crime branch officer said requesting anonymity as he is not authorized to speak with the media.