Illegal arms dealer killed by associates on payment dispute
AWRY Rigor mortis had set in by time the men tried to dispose of body, 24 hours after murder
NEWDELHI: A murder in Najafgarh was cracked by Delhi Police on Wednesday after a suspect in the case developed cold feet when the body started stiffening due to chemical changes.
The suspect, who had been called to help dispose of the body, instead informed the police about the murder after attempts to stuff the body in a gunny bag failed due to rigor mortis (stiffening of a dead body).
On Friday, housemates Pradeep and Sandeep killed Joginder — a 41-year-old illegal weapons supplier—after a drunken brawl at their house. Rajkumar -- who was helping the duo with another roommate Naveen dispose of the body, got spooked when it didn’t fit in the gunny bag and alerted the police. While the police came for them, Pradeep, who was at the house, “went into the other room and pretended to be heavily drunk and unconscious”, an investigator said. But there was blood on his clothes and he was picked up as a suspect. The other 3 suspects are absconding.
NEW DELHI: A murder in Najafgarh was cracked by Delhi Police on Wednesday after a suspect in the case developed cold feet when the body started stiffening due to chemical changes known in medical terms as rigor mortis.
The suspect, who had been called to help dispose of the body, instead informed about his brother after their attempts to stuff the body in a gunny bag failed due to rigor mortis (stiffening of a dead body).
Rigor mortis is characterised by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemical changes in the muscles postmortem. In humans, rigor mortis can occur as soon as four hours after death.
Police said the incident took placeon last Saturday in Jai Vihar area of Najafgarh, where the 41-year-old victim — identified as Joginder —lived with four others in a rented house.
The other four men, according to the police, were Pradeep, his brother Rajkumar, Sandeep and Naveen.
Joginder was an illegal weapons supplier, who had been booked and arrested multiple times in the past, said Anto Alphonse, deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka).
On Friday night, Joginder was drinking with Pradeep and Sandeep in the house when the men allegedly got involved in a drunken tiff over some monetary issue. “The tiff later escalated, after which Pradeep and Sandeep used a knife, a wooden log and an iron jack to attack and kill Joginder,” Alphonse said.
A series of events, which led to the eventual cracking of the case by the police, began soon after.
“The duo decided to dispose of the body. For this, they sought the help of Rajkumar and Naveen, who weren’t in the house at the time of the murder,” said the DCP.
The four allegedly decided to stuff the body in a gunny bag, carry it in a car to the Najafgarh drain and dump it there. But when they tried to actually stuff the body in a gunny back on Sunday evening, around 24 hours after the murder, rigor mortis (body turning stiff) had set in. “The body wouldn’t fit in the sack,” said the DCP.
It was at this point that Rajkumar spooked and decided to inform on his brother to the police. When he was sent out of the house with Naveen to arrange a car around 9.30pm on Sunday, Rajkumar allegedly used his phone to alert the police about the murder.
“Rajkumar later switched off his phone and went into hiding,” said the DCP.
A police team soon landed at the murder spot. “Sandeep got a whiff of the police’s arrival and escaped through the terrace, but Pradeep got left behind when the police came in,” said another investigator. “Left with little choice, Pradeep went into the other room and pretended to be heavily drunk and unconscious. But there was blood on his clothes and he was picked up as a suspect,” said the investigator.
Over the next couple of days, Pradeep continued pretending to be disoriented and knowing nothing about the murder. “But upon sustained interrogation, he finally broke down and confessed to the crime. Thereafter, we arrested the other killer, Sandeep, and recovered the murder weapons,” said the officer.
Rajkumar and Naveen, meanwhile, are on the run and a manhunt has been launched for their arrest.
› [After police arrived] Pradeep went into the other room and pretended to be heavily drunk and unconscious. But there was blood on his clothes and he was picked up as a suspect. AN INVESTIGATOR