Lured By Offline Booking, Killed For Car: Murder Of Delhi Taxi Driver

A 22-year-old taxi driver was allegedly kidnapped and murdered after being lured into accepting an offline booking for Jaipur, with his body later dumped in a forested area in Rajasthan, police said on Friday.

The Delhi Police have arrested six persons, including a juvenile, in connection with the murder and recovered the victim's car from Rajasthan, they said.

The victim was identified as Ashish Pal, a resident of Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh. He was driving the taxi when he accepted the booking from Sarita Vihar to Jaipur on July 20, according to police.

The incident was initially reported as a Zero FIR at the Mokhampura police station in Jaipur Rural in Rajasthan and was subsequently transferred to the Sarita Vihar police station in Delhi, where an FIR was registered.

According to the FIR, the accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

"During the journey, an altercation allegedly broke out between the accused and Pal over the fare. The accused assaulted him and subsequently strangulated him before concealing his body in the vehicle," a senior police officer said.

The body was later taken to Rajasthan and disposed of in a forested area near Mokhampura, he said.

A team was formed, and an investigation was taken up. During the investigation, police analysed CCTV footage from the taxi booking point, highways, toll plazas and other locations. Technical surveillance was also used to reconstruct the movement of the vehicle and identify the suspected accused, he said.

The team also coordinated with Rajasthan Police to identify locations and recover evidence. The investigation led to the apprehension of a 16-year-old juvenile and the arrest of five others -- Anil Jat, Kalu Ram, Sumit, Mangal Deep alias Sanu and Arjun Rinwa, police said.

The stolen car was traced to Rajasthan and recovered from the possession of Anil Jat and Kalu Ram by police. The victim's body was also recovered from Rajasthan and identified during the investigation. Police said sustained interrogation and investigation revealed that the accused had allegedly conspired to rob a vehicle after running short of money.

After the alleged murder, they are accused of using Pal's mobile phone and cash and attempting to withdraw money using his ATM card. They also allegedly removed the vehicle's number plate and stayed in Ajmer.

The investigation further revealed that after reaching Nagaur, the accused disclosed the incident to an acquaintance and attempted to stay away from the area.

"One of the accused was subsequently apprehended by Delhi Police at Jaipur Railway Station. The respective roles of the accused are being corroborated through CCTV footage, technical evidence, disclosure statements, witness accounts and other material evidence," the officer said.

Among the arrested accused, Rinwa (22), a resident of Marwad Mundwa in Nagaur district, Rajasthan, was previously involved in two cases in the state. Mangal Deep alias Sanu (18), Sumit (20), and Anil Jat (23) are all residents of Marwad Mundwa, police said.

Police said Jat's father is also a listed bad character of Marwar Mundwa police station in Nagaur. Kalu Ram (29) is a resident of Rol village in Nagaur district.

The juvenile, aged around 16, was apprehended in Rajasthan and produced before the competent Juvenile Justice Board. He is being dealt with in accordance with the law applicable to juveniles, police said, adding that further investigation into the case is underway.