New Delhi, March 2 (.): In a shocking act allegedly fueled by greed, a man was murdered by his friend and accomplices, his body was chopped into pieces, and it was dumped in the Yamuna after he refused to give them money, an official said on Monday.
Four individuals, including a woman, have been taken into custody in connection with the murder that occurred on February 18.
The prime accused, Happy, alias Suraj, had befriended Anroop Gupta nearly a year ago. Gupta ran a canteen at Chhattisgarh Sadan. During this time, the accused allegedly observed the gold jewellery Gupta often wore and came to know that he was living separately from his family, police said.
Ankit Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), said that, on February 18, Happy lured Gupta to his rented accommodation in Matiala Extension.
“He and his accomplices are accused of tying Gupta up and beating him with sticks as they demanded money from him,” he added.
Gupta told the accused that he kept his gold rings and bracelet in his SUV, which was parked at Chhattisgarh Sadan.
The accused allegedly took the car keys by force and retrieved the gold ornaments. When Gupta declined to give them money, they beat him.
“Happy reportedly used a big knife to cut the body into pieces, which were then placed in three plastic bags. The bags were transported using Gupta’s SUV and disposed of in the Yamuna River near Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh,” DCP Ankit Singh said in his statement.
In an attempt to mislead investigators, the accused reportedly left Gupta’s mobile phone inside the car without switching it off. They also sent messages from his phone to the staff at the Chhattisgarh Sadan canteen, instructing them to close the canteen and go home.
The accused reportedly sent a message to Gupta’s family, falsely indicating that he had gone on a trip to Goa and should not be disturbed.
The matter came to light on February 23, when Gupta’s family reported him missing at the Dwarka North police station in Delhi, after they failed to get in touch with him and his SUV went missing.
“Following the missing person report, a special team was set up under senior officers to locate Gupta. Using a combination of technical and on-ground intelligence, the team proactively solved the blind murder case,” the DCP said.
“Based on the evidence, a case was registered at Bindapur police station, and the details were shared with authorities in Uttar Pradesh. Coordinating with the Mathura district police, the mutilated body parts were later recovered from the Yamuna River,” the officer said.
While probing into this case, the police said they reviewed CCTV footage from toll plazas and the crime scene to track the victim’s movements.
Investigators found that Gupta had booked a bike ride on February 18, leaving his SUV parked at Chhattisgarh Sadan before heading to Matiala Extension. CCTV footage captured him entering a building at that location.
“He did not come out, and CCTV footage later showed four other people entering the same building,” DCP Singh said.
Through call detail record analysis, police identified the driver who had taken Gupta to the location. CCTV footage further revealed unusual movement of the victim’s SUV, showing it entering and leaving the building’s basement before traveling toward the Yamuna Expressway on the night between February 19 and 20.
“NHAI toll data revealed that the SUV traveled to Vrindavan and back to Noida within a few hours. Using CCTV footage, we identified and traced the main accused, Happy, alias Suraj, from Hansi in Haryana,” the DCP said.
During questioning, he reportedly confessed to orchestrating 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 taken into custody, while Neeraj is still at large. Efforts are ongoing to locate and apprehend him, the officer added.
. DSV AKU