New Delhi, May 25 (PTI): Four people were apprehended in connection with the killing of a 60-year-old watchman in Outer Delhi’s Peeragarhi village, with police saying the “well-planned” murder was carried out over a verbal spat.
The police said the accused removed the number plate of the SUV used in the crime to make identification difficult before repeatedly running over the victim and fleeing.
The victim, Bijender Bhardwaj, worked as a watchman at a tempo stand in Peeragarhi village. He was alone at the spot when he was attacked around 2.54 am on Sunday, according to CCTV footage examined by investigators.
“The murder was committed following an earlier verbal altercation over petty issues. The accused had planned the attack and removed the number plate from the vehicle to avoid identification,” a senior police officer said.
The police apprehended four suspects on Monday and are questioning them, the officer said.
Investigators earlier said the case appeared “more planned than spontaneous” and not a typical road rage incident. The last sighting of the SUV was captured on a CCTV camera near Hiran Kudna on the Delhi-Haryana border, the police said.
According to investigators, footage from the scene of the crime shows an SUV parked near the tempo stand with its headlights on while Bhardwaj sat on a chair. A man is later seen stepping out carrying a stick and attacking him. As Bhardwaj tries to flee, the man gets behind the wheel, knocks him down and runs him over three to four times before driving away.
“The man was first beaten with sticks and then run over repeatedly by the SUV,” the officer said.
The police said the absence of a registration number plate on the SUV initially emerged as a major challenge in tracing the car.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Mukesh Bhardwaj, the younger brother of the deceased, alleged that the attackers targeted him with no provocation while he was on duty.
“He was sitting peacefully on his chair when a man got out of the car and beat him with sticks. Then the SUV reversed and rammed into him from three sides,” he said.
“Around 3 am, we received a call from another chowkidar informing us about the incident. He was alone there at that time. There was no major enmity with anyone. Maybe there had been some argument earlier,” he had added.
Family members had also alleged lapses in the initial police response, claiming the matter was first treated as a road accident before murder charges were added.
The police said more than eight teams were formed and CCTV footage from nearby roads, intersections and commercial establishments was scanned to identify the accused.
A case under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Paschim Vihar West Police Station. PTI BM SSJ VN VN
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