Driver Arrested for Killing Passenger Picked Up From IFFCO Chowk Over ₹1,000 Fare
A 59-year-old van driver has been arrested alongside his wife and son for allegedly killing a passenger he picked up from IFFCO Chowk in Gurugram following a dispute over a fare of around ₹1,000, police said on Saturday.
The accused, identified as Rajinder Kumar alias Annu, allegedly assaulted the passenger to death using bricks and an earthen-pot-like object inside his vehicle before dumping the body on a pavement in west Delhi's Naraina area. Kumar's wife, Kamini Makhija, 50, and son, Laksh Makhija, 28, were also arrested on Friday night for allegedly assisting him in concealing the victim's clothes and handling the vehicle used in the crime.
According to police, Kumar stated during questioning that he picked up the passenger from IFFCO Chowk in a Maruti Eeco van on August 17. A quarrel broke out during the trip over the payment of the ₹1,000 fare, which the passenger allegedly refused to pay. The altercation escalated inside the vehicle, culminating in the fatal assault.
Police discovered the crime after receiving a PCR call reporting a body in the Naraina Vihar area. Officers arrived at the scene and found an unidentified man, estimated to be around 35 years old, lying naked and blood-stained near the boundary wall of a government school. The victim had suffered a deep injury to the right side of his head along with multiple other injuries across his body.
A crime team and a Forensic Science Laboratory team inspected the site and collected evidence before shifting the body to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where doctors declared the man brought dead. Police subsequently registered an FIR.
During the initial examination, investigators observed a distinctive heart-shaped tattoo with an arrow bearing the names 'Anand' and 'Renu' on the victim's left forearm, which police noted as an initial clue to establishing his identity.
To identify the vehicle, police teams analysed approximately 500 CCTV recordings across the area and tracked the movements of a Maruti Eeco. Investigators traced the van to Kumar, a resident of Naraina village, and took him into custody. Police later recovered the van at the instance of his wife, while the victim's clothes and shoes were retrieved based on information provided by his son. Police said the victim's identity is yet to be confirmed and further investigation remains underway.
