Man, minor held for cook’s murder in Alaknanda

POLICE OFFICIALS SAID THE CRIME WAS RESULT OF AN ARGUMENT THAT ERUPTED OVER AN ALLEGED COLLISION OF SHOULDERS

NEW DELHI: An argument that erupted over a collision of shoulders between two men eventually led to the murder of 35-year-old cook i n south Delhi’s Alaknanda on Sunday, police officials said.

The police said Dashrath Mukhiya was stabbed to death by two men after an argument late in the night on March 4. A 21-year-old e-rickshaw driver Sunny, alias Peeri, was arrested and a 17-year-old boy was apprehended in connection with Mukhiya’s murder on Friday, police officials said.

The two accused reportedly told the police that they killed Mukhiya because his shoulder had allegedly collided with that of the 17-year-old boy. The collision led to an argument between the two sides and the duo allegedly stabbed Mukhiya twice in his chest, the police said. Mukhiya is believed to have died before he could be rushed to a hospital, the officials added.

Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (south), said the suspects were caught in a CCTV camera but their faces were not clear due to the poor lighting in the area.

Since the crime took place close to the slum clusters in Govindpuri and Tughlaqabad Extension, investigators focused their probe on the involvement of petty criminals living in those areas.

The police ruled out robbery as a motive for the crime because Mukhiya’s cellphone and money were found with his body.

“We interrogated around 100 suspects between the age group of 18 and 21 years. One of them told us that the two suspects had come to his ice-cream shop on that night and had told him that they had stabbed someone after a fight,” said Baaniya.

The ice-cream vendor led the police to the suspects’ homes but they were missing. “We collected information about their hideouts and eventually nabbed them,” said Baaniya.

Baaniya said Sunny told the police the 17-year-old held on to Mukhiya while the former stabbed him twice in his chest. When Mukhiya started running along the footpath, the two chased him but gave up the chase when they saw him approaching a security guard of a society nearby.

“We have recovered a small knife that the two had used in the murder. Mukhiya was employed as a cook at a house in Greater Kailash II,” the DCP said.