Canteen owner killed, body chopped and dumped in Yamuna

Coveting gold and cash, a 29-year-old man, along with his live-in partner and associates, allegedly murdered a canteen owner, chopped his body into pieces and dumped them in the Yamuna, the Delhi Police said on Monday. Four people, including a woman, have been arrested in connection with the killing that took place on February 18.

According to the police, the main accused, Happy alias Suraj (29), had befriended Anroop Gupta (48), who ran a canteen at Chhattisgarh Niwas in Dwarka, nearly a year ago. After noticing the gold ornaments that Gupta frequently wore, Happy grew greedy. He also learned that the canteen owner was living separately from his family.

On February 18, Happy invited Gupta for a party at his rented home in Matiala Extension. There, Happy, along with his associates, tied Gupta with ropes and beat him with sticks, demanding money, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said.

Gupta told them that his gold rings and bracelet were in his SUV parked at the Chhattisgarh Niwas.

The accused forcibly took the car keys, brought the vehicle to Matiala and retrieved the gold ornaments. However, when Gupta refused to give them money, they stabbed him to death after brutally assaulting him.

“In a shocking act of brutality, Happy procured a machete and cut the body into pieces. The body parts were packed in three plastic bags, which were transported by using Gupta’s SUV. They disposed of the bags in the Yamuna River near Vrindavan,” DCP Ankit Singh said in the statement.

In a bid to mislead investigators, they kept Gupta’s mobile phone inside the car and did not switch it off.

They also sent messages from the victim’s phone to staff at the Chhattisgarh Niwas canteen asking them to close the outlet and go home.

Another message was sent to Gupta’s family stating that he was going on a vacation to Goa and should not be disturbed. The matter came to light when Gupta’s family reported him missing at Delhi Police’s Dwarka North police station on February 23 after they failed to contact him.

After the missing report, a dedicated team to trace the canteen owner and a case was registered at Bindapur police station, the DCP said.

“Details were also shared with the Uttar Pradesh Police. Following coordinated efforts with police in Mathura district, the mutilated body parts were recovered from the Yamuna River,” he said.

The police said that they checked CCTV footage for three days at toll plazas and the place of the incident to trace the victim’s movement.

It was found that Gupta had booked a bike ride on February 18 and left his SUV parked at Chhattisgarh Niwas before heading to Matiala Extension. CCTV footage showed him entering a building there, they said.

“He was never seen coming out. Four other persons were later seen entering the same building,” DCP Singh said.

Further scrutiny of CCTV footage revealed suspicious movement of the victim’s car, which was later seen entering and exiting the basement of the building before heading towards the Yamuna Expressway on the intervening night of February 19 and 20.

The DCP said, “NHAI toll data confirmed that the SUV travelled towards Vrindavan and returned to Noida within a few hours. The key conspirator, Happy, a resident of Hansi in Haryana, was identified from CCTV footage and traced.”

During interrogation, he confessed to hatching the conspiracy, along with his associates — Bhupender, Balram, Neeraj and his live-in partner Rakhi, the officer said. Bhupender, Balram and Rakhi have also been arrested, while Neeraj remains absconding. Efforts are being made to trace and arrest him, the officer added.

According to police sources, Gupta shifted to Dwarka Sector 14 around two months ago.

“When he went missing, a team was immediately dispatched to the apartment where he was staying. We also got to know that he was staying with a woman there,” the source said.

He further said that Gupta’s family members stay in Faridabad. A team also visited Faridabad and also checked the CCTV footage of the society in Dwarka as well. Gupta left his house and he was carrying a bag with him as well, the source said, adding that all the CCTV footage is being connected to ascertain the sequence of events.

Police is also trying to identify the woman who was staying with Gupta, he said.

According to the police, the mortal remains were handed over to the family members after the autopsy.