A 27-year-old was stabbed to death inside a temple in south-east Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar on Thursday night. While three of the four accused were nabbed the same night, the last arrest was made on Friday morning.
Stabbed multiple times
The victim, Perumal, was a car-cleaner who lived in Dakshinpuri Extension. He had gone to the temple with his friends when R. Nateshan, along with his brothers R.Srinivas and R.Shekhar and a friend Guddu, stabbed him multiple times. “We came home around 10 p.m., but Perumal was in the temple with his friends. Soon after, we heard a commotion. When we went out we saw him in a pool of blood,” the victim’s paternal uncle P. Rajendra told The Hindu as he broke down.
Declared brought dead
“He was stabbed in the head, face, neck and back. They didn’t spare him,” he added.
According to his uncle, they first took him to a police station which was on the way. However, the officers there allegedly told the family that they couldn’t help. Perumal was then rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre where he was declared brought dead. “We were in an auto. We thought we would save time if we went to the police, who would also be able to help fast-track the process in the hospital. But, they refused to come along,” said Mr. Rajendra.
According to the family, Nateshan and his brothers had had a fight with Perumal during the same time last year. In fact, Srinivas had even filed a case against the victim back then. “It was a small fight that escalated for no reason. Last year, he had vowed that he would kill Perumal, but we thought he said it out of anger,” he added.
“He and his brothers had called eight to 10 people to beat my nephew up. He came to the temple to kill him,” Rajendra added.
Case registered
Asked if the victim’s friends or others in the temple tried to rescue him, Rajendra said that everybody fled from the scene.
A case against under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (criminal act by several people) has been registered against the accused. “One of the brothers was picked up from the AIIMS Trauma Centre where he went because he was injured. Two others were arrested from their residence in Kalyanpuri. Their friend Guddu was arrested on Friday morning,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajeev Ranjan Singh.
Perumal is survived by his wife and two children between two and five years.
