Man killed over son’s relationship

SHOCKING Semi-decomposed body of 55-yr-old found in shrubs on Yamuna banks on Monday, over 48 hours after he was killed

NEWDELHI: A 55-year-old man was stripped, assaulted and then strangled to death, allegedly by the family members of a girl, for not discouraging his 17-year-old son to discontinue his relationship with their minor daughter, the police said on Thursday.

The man’s semi-decomposed body was found in the shrubs on the Yamuna riverbed in north Delhi’s Burari on Monday, more than 48 hours after he was killed and dumped there. The body was partially eaten by stray animals.

The three suspects in the case included the girl’s uncle and two cousins. They were arrested on Thursday.

Police said the girl’s family was enraged with the victim because they had caught her at his house on February 14, Valentine’s Day. On that day, when they realised where she was, the family had come to the house posing as police personnel and banged on their door.

However, the girl identified them by their voices when they asked them to open the door and accompany them to the police station. The boy managed to flee and the girl returned home with her family members.

On February 16, the girl allegedly went to the boy’s home again. This time, too, the girl’s relatives arrived there and took her back home. They later allegedly returned and assaulted the man. Seeing his father being beaten, the 17-year-old boy fled as he feared the same would be dished out to him, said police. In the melee, the man died.

A police officer associated with the case said that they discovered the body of an unidentified man on the Yamuna riverbed on Monday.

Police said that they initially thought it was a case of natural death since there were no visible injury marks on the body. However, their probe took a crucial turn when his autopsy report revealed that he had died of strangulation.

“We registered a case of murder at the Burari police station and began the investigation,” said Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of police (North).

According to the police, the body was preserved at the Subzi Mandi mortuary for identification and his photographs and other details were uploaded on zonal integrated police network (Zipnet) and shared with police stations across Delhi-ncr.

The Burari police showed photographs of the man to local resident and the exercise eventually helped them establish his identity. Investigators went to his house in Burari and found that his son was also missing. Their neighbours told the police about a commotion at their house on February 16.

Police then received tipoffs on the whereabouts of the 17-yearold and managed to track him. The boy told them about the assault and that he did not return home as her feared for his life.

“We questioned the girl’s relatives. Initially, they denied their involvement in the murder. But, when confronted with electronic evidence and the statement of the man’s son, they broke down and confessed to the crime,” said the officer. “The suspect said they stripped the victim and assaulted him. One of them had caught hold of him by his throat when he lost consciousness. They said they panicked and dumped the body.”

Police said they also recorded the statement of the girl and she corroborated her the boy’s statements and what the police had found.

She claimed that her family members had caught her at his home on two occasions and had threatened the boy and his father with consequences.