NEW DELHI: What started as a routine cab ride ended in murder, with three members of a family — a cab driver, his wife and son — arrested for allegedly killing a passenger and concealing evidence following a heated argument over a fare of Rs 1,000 to 1,500.According to police, the incident came to light last Monday when the body of an unidentified man was found near the wall of an NGO in west Delhi’s Naraina Vihar. The man, aged around 30 to 35 years, was found naked in a pool of blood on the pavement.Police said the victim had a deep injury on the right side of his head and multiple injuries on his body. A distinctive heart-shaped tattoo with an arrow on his left forearm, bearing the names “ANAND” and “RENU”, was also noticed.Bricks and pieces of an earthen-pot-like object were found near the body, police said. A case was registered. “During the investigation, several CCTV cameras installed around the place of occurrence and adjoining routes were analysed,” said DCP (West) Hareshwar Swami.
Tiff over Rs 1,500
Driver says he picked up man from Gurgaon
A suspicious Maruti Eeco was noticed moving in the vicinity.”As the vehicle’s registration number was initially unclear, police analysed successive CCTV footage to track its movement before and after the incident. The route was established and, following field verification, the vehicle was identified. It was registered to Rajinder Kumar, 59, a resident of Naraina.Police said Kumar confessed to the crime and disclosed that he worked as a driver and had picked up the passenger from IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon on the day of the incident. During the journey, an argument allegedly broke out over a fare of around Rs 1,000-1,500.According to police, the passenger refused to pay the fare, following which the argument escalated into a physical altercation inside the vehicle. Kumar allegedly assaulted him with bricks and an earthen-pot-like object, causing fatal injuries.Police said Kumar then called his wife, Kamini Mukhija, 50, and son, Laksh Makhija, 28, to the spot. The three allegedly attempted to conceal the victim’s clothes and hide the vehicle used in the crime.All three have been arrested. The Maruti Eeco has been seized and police have also recovered the victim’s hidden clothes and shoes. The identity of the deceased has not yet been established.
