- Two adults were arrested and two minors detained for killing a watchman in Delhi’s Peeragarhi area
- The victim was beaten with a stick and run over twice by an SUV in a premeditated attack
- Police used CCTV, surveillance, and tip-offs to track and intercept the suspects and vehicle
Two people were arrested and two minors detained for killing a 60-year-old watchman in Outer Delhi's Peeragarhi area. Police said the accused first beat the watchman with a stick and then killed him by running him over twice with an SUV to seek revenge for a minor altercation and verbal abuse.
Police said a call was received on Sunday morning around 4 AM reporting that a man was lying in critical condition at the tempo stand located near the entry gate of Peeragarhi village, having likely been struck by a vehicle. Upon arrival, the police found Bijender's body lying on the road in a blood-soaked condition. Investigation revealed that Bijender worked as a watchman at that very tempo stand.
During an inspection of the crime scene, police found that the incident was not a mere road accident, and there were long skid marks from vehicle tyres on the road. Bijender's body bore visible signs of being run over and sustaining injuries inflicted by a heavy object in multiple places.
CCTV footage showed that late at night, a black Mahindra Bolero Neo came to a halt near the tempo stand. A young man, armed with a stick, stepped out of the vehicle. He walked directly up to Bijender and began attacking him. Before the watchman could even comprehend what was happening, he was being brutally beaten.
While the assault was underway, the accused driving the Bolero suddenly accelerated the vehicle directly toward Bijender. Bijender attempted to flee to save his life, but the accused ran him over with the car. Even after this, the accused's rage did not subside. When Bijender, in his injured state, struggled to get up and escape, the accused drove the vehicle over him once again. After crushing him for the second time, the accused fled the scene.
A joint team comprising personnel from the Paschim Vihar West Police Station and the Special Staff was then constituted. This operation utilised technical surveillance, local intelligence, and an informer network. The police tracked the potential movements of the accused from the night of the incident until the following morning. Police later received a tip-off indicating that the accused were preparing to flee Delhi and escape to Haridwar.
On Monday, the joint team from the Special Staff and the local police station cordoned off the Mundka Industrial Area. Shortly thereafter, the suspicious Bolero came into view and was intercepted by the police. Four young men were inside the car. Upon interrogation, it was revealed that two of them were adults, while the other two were minors.
The arrested accused were identified as 22-year-old Vinay and 18-year-old Ayush Chauhan. Vinay hails from Bahadurgarh in Haryana and is reported to be a second-year BCA student, while Ayush is a resident of the Najafgarh area in Delhi. The police have also detained two minors, who will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.
During interrogation the accused revealed that a dispute had arisen about a month ago between the watchman, Bijender, and one of the minor accused over a certain issue. It is alleged that, during this altercation, the watchman had verbally abused the minor. Harbouring a grudge over this incident, the minor accused resolved to seek revenge. Subsequently, he conspired with his friends to meticulously plan the murder of the watchman.
On the night of the incident, all four accused arrived at the tempo stand. They first threatened the watchman and then attacked him with a stick. Following this, they carried out the murder by running him over with the vehicle. The police said that the killing was entirely premeditated and that the accused had arrived at the scene with the specific intent to commit murder.
The investigation also revealed that the accused had removed the Bolero's original license plates in an attempt to mislead the police. However, through technical analysis and vehicle identification, the police were able to trace the original registration number. The inquiry established that the vehicle is registered in the name of the aunt of one of the minor accused.
The Delhi Police have recovered the vehicle used in the killing, as well as the stick used to hit the victim. Furthermore, the police are currently examining the accused's mobile phones, social media accounts, and call records. During the course of the investigation, it also came to light that the accused, Vinay, along with one of the minors, had previously been involved in a similar violent incident in ​​Haryana's Bahadurgarh area. The police are now investigating this angle to determine whether the accused are affiliated with any gang or criminal syndicate.
