Engineers beat ‘drunken’ auto-driver to death in Gurugram, arrested

The auto-driver was admitted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday morning for treatment, but died due to serious head injuries

Published on: Mar 10, 2025, 21:19:52 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Gurugram police arrested two engineers on Monday for allegedly beating an auto-driver to death in the DLF Phase 3 area. The incident was triggered by an argument on Saturday night.

Police allegedly accused arrested the murder suspect Jaideep and Mani Shankar Shukla in the case of killing an auto driver by beating him in a quarrel over parking the auto on the side, in Gurugram, India, on Monday, 10 March 2025. (HT Print)

The accused have been identified as Jaideep and Mani Shankar Shukla. Police said the accused were going to Jaideep's apartment after a dinner outing. Upon reaching the area, they asked Sonu, the auto-driver, to park his vehicle at a different place.

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The victim was allegedly in a drunken-state and started hurling abuses at the duo. The argument escalated into an open scuffle in which the accused badly beat up Sonu, police said.

The auto-driver was admitted to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Sunday morning for treatment, but died due to serious head injuries. He was a native of Dholi village in Bihar’s Gaya and lived as a tenant in Nathupur village.

Police said both the accused worked at a company in Lucknow. Jaideep quit his job in 2022, moved to Gurugram and opened a cloud kitchen in the city. Mani Shankar also quit his job in Bengaluru in 2024 and came to the city around 20 days ago to search for another job.

A case has been registered at the DLF Phase 3 Police Station based on a complaint filed by Sonu’s cousin. The two engineers have been arrested, and further investigation is underway.

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Crime hotspots in Gurugram

In December last year, Gurugram Police identified multiple hotspots for crimes such as snatching, vehicle theft, eve-teasing, and street brawls, following an 11-month study of crime trends. These were spread across the jurisdiction of 10 police stations, including Sohna City, sectors 10A, 50, 53, 14, 29, Shivaji Nagar, Palam Vihar, and Sadar.

“In some areas, we need more police personnel and better patrolling. In others, issues like dark spots and a lack of CCTV cameras are major concerns,” ACP (crime) Varun Dahiya told HT.

(With PTI inputs)

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HT News Desk
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