New Delhi, Aug 29
The South-East District Police on Saturday claimed to have solved a blind murder case with the arrest of a 64-year-old man and his associate in connection with the killing of a 38-year-old man, who was the son of one of the accused.
The accused have been identified as Talukdar Ansari, 64, and Md Wasim alias Akram, 49. Police said the victim, Gul Hasan, was taken to an abandoned container on the pretext of being taken to a doctor, where he was subsequently assaulted and strangled.
According to the police, information about an unidentified body was received at around 7:13 p.m. on August 23. The body was found inside an abandoned container, locally known as “Bablu ka Container”, near the NTPC wall, around 500 metres east of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and close to Kacchi Colony, Gali No. 1, under the jurisdiction of Kalindi Kunj police station.
Following the information, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kalindi Kunj, along with police personnel, reached the location. Senior officers also visited the scene and examined the circumstances.
The victim was found lying inside the container with an apparent injury to the head. A concrete block bearing suspected blood stains was also recovered from near the body.
During the preliminary examination, police noticed an injury on the left temporal region of the victim's head. Investigators suspected that the injury could have been caused by the blood-stained concrete block found at the scene.
As the identity of the deceased was not immediately established, police registered a murder case and launched an investigation.
Considering the seriousness of the incident, four teams comprising personnel from Kalindi Kunj police station, Special Staff, Narcotics and the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) were formed to identify the victim and trace those responsible for the crime.
The investigation was led by ACP Sarita Vihar Anil Kumar Sharma under the supervision of DCP South-East District Vineet Kumar, IPS, and overall guidance of Joint Commissioner of Police, Southern Range, Vijay Kumar, IPS.
Since neither the identity of the victim nor the circumstances surrounding his death were initially known, investigators faced a significant challenge.
Police subsequently carried out an extensive investigation using CCTV footage, technical surveillance, intelligence inputs and field-level verification. Investigators examined footage from several cameras installed in and around the area and attempted to establish the victim's movements through a camera-to-camera trail.
After analysing CCTV footage for several days, police reportedly identified a crucial lead. The footage showed the victim travelling with two other men towards the location where his body was later found. According to investigators, the two men continued towards the crime scene with him, but the victim was not seen returning.
The suspects were subsequently traced to a stitching factory in Govindpuri, where police apprehended Talukdar Ansari and Md Wasim alias Akram.
During interrogation, investigators learnt that Gul Hasan, the son of Talukdar Ansari, had been suffering from schizophrenia and other mental health-related problems.
According to the investigation so far, the accused allegedly persuaded Gul Hasan to accompany them to the abandoned container on the pretext of taking him to a doctor.
Police said that after reaching the isolated location, Wasim attacked Gul Hasan with a stone. Talukdar Ansari also assaulted his son during the incident.
The victim was subsequently strangled using a rope made from discarded cloth material, leading to his death. The accused then left the body inside the abandoned container before leaving the area.
Police said several items believed to be connected with the crime were recovered following the arrests.
These include the concrete stone used during the assault, blood-stained clothes that the accused wore at the time of the incident and a cotton string or rope allegedly used to strangle the victim.
Investigators are continuing to examine the recovered material and other evidence to establish the precise sequence of events.
Police said further investigation is underway to determine the complete motive behind the murder, corroborate the alleged sequence of events through forensic and technical evidence, obtain the final medical opinion and collect additional evidence required for the case.
The police said the detection of the case was the result of coordinated efforts by the Kalindi Kunj police station, Special Staff, Narcotics and AATS teams.
Investigators relied on CCTV footage, technical surveillance, field intelligence and sustained verification to identify the victim, trace his movements and eventually apprehend the alleged perpetrators.
