Three arrested for murdering man on Yamuna floodplains in Wazirabad
The Delhi Police have arrested three men for the murder of a 34-year-old man whose body was recovered from the Yamuna floodplains near Jagatpur Pusta Road in Wazirabad, North Delhi. The victim, identified as Chandan Saini, was found on May 21 with multiple stab wounds in what police described as a retaliatory killing for a stabbing incident that occurred two years ago.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia announced the arrests on Monday. The three suspects were identified as Tarun, also known as Tanni, from Nehru Vihar; Dheeraj, 32, a resident of Sangam Vihar; and Sunny Mahajan, 19, from Amritsar in Punjab. The suspects were arrested on Sunday following local inquiries and technical surveillance.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly killed Saini to avenge an attack from two years prior, during which Saini had stabbed and injured Tarun. Police also alleged that Saini frequently abused Tarun and his associates, and had attempted to abduct Tarun's brother two days before the murder.
The investigation began on May 21 when the Wazirabad police station received a call regarding a body lying on the Yamuna floodplains near Jagatpur Pusta. A police team reached the spot and found Saini's body with multiple stab wounds and a disfigured face. Investigators successfully identified him with the help of a photograph circulated in nearby localities and two names and a symbol tattooed on his hand.
During interrogation, the suspects reportedly confessed to luring Saini to the floodplains in Tarun's rented auto-rickshaw under the pretext of drinking liquor before stabbing him to death. Police have since recovered the auto-rickshaw used in the crime.
Following the murder, the three suspects fled Delhi and hid in Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. They returned to the capital approximately 10 days before their arrest.
Police records revealed that Tarun works as an auto-rickshaw driver, while Dheeraj and Mahajan are unemployed. Dheeraj has prior involvement in two burglary cases, and the victim, Saini, was previously named in five cases of snatching, burglary, and theft.
