Labourer beaten to death, two arrested
nNEW DELHI: Two truck drivers on Monday morning allegedly beat a 25-year-old man to death, on the suspicion that he stole ₹90,000 cash and mobile phones from them.the police arrested the two men later that day, apprehending them as they tried to flee the city with the victim in their truck. Senior officers aware of the matter said there was no evidence to suggest the victim had stolen anything from the drivers.
Police found the victim, Vishal, a labour worker, unconscious in the back of the truck during a routine check at the Singhu Border in north Delhi. He was declared dead on arrival at a hospital later that day.
Vijayanta Arya, deputy commissioner of police (north-west), said the allegations that Vishal had stolen their phones and cash was unfounded, and there was no evidence to suggest as much. “He has no criminal past as well,” Arya said.
The two truck drivers, Sandeep Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, have been booked for murder, kidnapping and destruction of evidence.
DCP Arya said the brothers would make frequent trips from Himachal Pradesh to Delhi to transport apples. They had driven from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, and sold apples at
Azadpur Mandi worth ₹90,000 late Sunday night, she said. When they were preparing to make their way back, they allegedly realised the cash and their cellphones were missing.
Vishal lived with his parents in a slum in nearby Haiderpur and earned his living by loading and unloading fruits and vegetables at the market. Often, he would spend his nights at the market itself, am investigator who asked not to be identified said.
The two truck drivers found Vishal near their truck in the market around 2am Monday, they suspected him of stealing the cash and allegedly began beating him up.
Pintu, a labour worker who lives and works at the mandi, said he woke up around 2.30am to loud noises from outside. “I went out and saw two men beating a labourer up, and accusing him of stealing their cash,” he said.
“After thrashing him, the two men tied him up, threw him into their truck and drove away,” Pintu, who goes by a single name, added.
The truckers weren’t able to drive very far. In about an hour, they found themselves in a traffic jam at the Singhu Border adjoining Haryana. “The traffic police were checking vehicles for violations. They checked inside this truck and found an injured man tied up inside an otherwise empty truck,” DCP Arya said.