Three Family Members Arrested for Murder of Passenger Picked Up at IFFCO Chowk
Police have arrested a cab driver, his wife, and their son for allegedly murdering a passenger who boarded the vehicle at IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon, following a violent argument over a fare of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500.
The incident came to light last Monday when the body of an unidentified man, estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old, was found naked in a pool of blood on a pavement near an NGO wall in west Delhi's Naraina Vihar. Police noted that the victim suffered a deep injury to the right side of his head along with multiple injuries across his body. Bricks and fragments of an earthen-pot-like object were recovered from the scene.
According to DCP (West) Hareshwar Swami, investigators tracked the crime by reviewing footage from CCTV cameras installed around the spot and adjoining routes. The footage showed a suspicious Maruti Eeco moving in the area. After analysing successive recordings to map its route, police conducted field verification and identified the vehicle, which was registered to 59-year-old Naraina resident Rajinder Kumar.
Police said Kumar confessed during interrogation that he worked as a driver and had picked up the victim from IFFCO Chowk on the day of the incident. An argument broke out between the two during the journey regarding the fare. When the passenger refused to pay, the dispute escalated into a physical altercation inside the vehicle. Kumar allegedly assaulted the victim with bricks and an earthen-pot-like object, inflicting fatal wounds.
Following the assault, Kumar summoned his wife, 50-year-old Kamini Mukhija, and his 28-year-old son, Laksh Makhija, to the spot. The three family members allegedly worked together to conceal the victim's clothes and hide the Maruti Eeco used in the crime.
All three individuals have been arrested. Police have seized the Maruti Eeco and recovered the victim's hidden clothes and shoes. The victim, who has a distinctive heart-shaped tattoo with an arrow and the names “ANAND” and “RENU” on his left forearm, has not yet been officially identified.
