2 held for murder over Rs 4 lakh loan

Two brothers allegedly abducted a man they had borrowed Rs 4 lakh from, killed him with a butcher’s knife and dumped his body here in the Najafgarh drain.

The victim, Ajay Kumar, who was known to lend money to people, had been missing since February 19, the day the brothers allegedly carried out the crime. Police arrested the duo on Tuesday.

Kumar, who had had many financial dealings with the brothers previously, was last seen leaving a house in Prem Nagar on his motorcycle, police said.

Police said that a missing person report was lodged on February 20 at Aman Vihar police station after Kumar failed to return to his home in Sector-20 in Delhi’s Rohini.

“Despite sustained efforts, no immediate clue about his whereabouts was found,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan said. The officer said that on February 23, on the statement of Kumar’s brother, an FIR under section 140(3) (kidnapping) was registered and a special team was constituted.

“During the investigation, CCTV footage and local inquiries revealed that a man with his face covered was seen parking Kumar’s motorcycle near an abandoned spot in Prem Nagar. This development raised suspicion of foul play,” the additional CP said.

Based on intelligence and technical surveillance, police zeroed in on Sonu (24) and Mehboob Ali (20), who were brothers and detained them for questioning.

“During interrogation, the duo confessed to having murdered Kumar. The accused had taken a loan of Rs 4 lakh from Kumar at an interest rate of 10 per cent per month but were unable to repay the amount due to financial distress,” the Additional CP added.

On February 19, when Kumar visited their residence to collect an instalment, the brothers allegedly decided to kill him to escape the mounting debt. Mehboob allegedly stabbed Kumar to death with a butcher’s knife, police said.

The brothers then allegedly disposed of the body in the Najafgarh drain in Nilothi Extension in an attempt to destroy evidence and mislead investigators.

“We have arrested both the accused in connection with the case. At the instance of the accused, the body was recovered from the drain. The crime team and forensic science laboratory (FSL) officials examined the spot and collected evidence.

“The body was later sent to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial (SGM) Hospital for post-mortem examination,” the officer said. Subsequently, BNS sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) were added to the case.

Kumar was engaged in supplying polythene bags to small shopkeepers and also lent money at interest.

Sonu runs a small hotel in Prem Nagar, while his younger brother Mehboob assists him in the day-to-day operations of the establishment.

Further investigation is underway to collect additional evidence and complete other legal formalities, police said.