Rajasthan badminton player beaten to death for eloping with minor, girl’s father arrested

Police said the 21-year-old victim suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries after being allegedly assaulted by the girl’s family.

The father of a 16-year-old girl was arrested on Saturday for his alleged involvement in the murder of a 21-year-old man from Rajasthan who was allegedly beaten to death in Faridabad, while several other family members remained absconding, police said.

The victim had allegedly been abducted and held hostage by the girl’s family from Faridabad’s Tigaon and repeatedly assaulted before the accused informed police about his recovery on Wednesday. (Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times)

Autopsy findings revealed the victim suffered multiple fractures and severe internal injuries. The attack was allegedly over his eloping with the minor girl.

Victim was held hostage, beaten

The victim, a state-level badminton player from Saidpur in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi, had reached Faridabad on May 17 to join an investigation related to the case before he went missing. He had allegedly been abducted and held hostage by the girl’s family from Faridabad’s Tigaon and repeatedly assaulted before the accused informed police about his recovery on Wednesday. He was rushed to the civil hospital in Ballabgarh, where doctors placed him on ventilator support. He died during treatment around 2am on Friday.

The girl’s maternal uncle lived in Saidpur, where the victim and the minor came in contact around eight months ago and entered a relationship. The duo eloped on April 20, following which the girl’s family registered a kidnapping case against the victim at Tigaon police station. Police later recovered the girl, who denied any wrongdoing, while the man remained untraceable until the girl’s family informed police they had caught him.

Extent of injuries

A senior police official said the assault caused extensive injuries. “His ribs had also got fractured, and they had ended up puncturing his lungs. Besides, there were deep cut wounds on his limbs too which clearly indicated the brutality he was subjected to,” he said, adding that the victim also suffered skull and nasal bone fractures.

Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said the girl’s father orchestrated the assault after spotting the man in Tigaon on Wednesday. “He rang his son and nephews, who also reached the spot armed with rods and sticks, and brutally assaulted him, which resulted in his death in the course of treatment on Friday,” Yadav said.

The victim’s father named 15 members of the girl’s family in the case. “More family members who are on the run at present will be arrested soon,” Yadav added.