Two men have been arrested for killing a 35-year-old businessman in north Delhi’s Timarpur, the police said on Wednesday.
The accused had borrowed ₹2.35 lakh from Pawan Bathla and killed him as they were unable to repay the loan.
Accused Nitin Chabbra and Mannu Wadhwa were Pawan’s acquaintances, the police said. They called Pawan on the pretext of paying the interest on the loan but bludgeoned and stabbed him instead. He was then run over by a car multiple times in order to conceal his identity. The accused later burnt his car in Pitampura to destroy evidence.
Senior officers said the Timarpur police station received a call around 9.30 p.m. on Tuesday regarding a critically injured man lying on a secluded stretch near Gandhi Vihar in the area.
Pawan was taken to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Doctors told the police that the victim was stabbed and hit on the head with a heavy object.
“We found a mobile phone in his pocket. Nitin’s name and number was on the last dialled list. He was informed about the incident, after which he reached the hospital. He was helping the police with the investigation. Nitin also helped the police contact the family of the deceased,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Nupur Prasad.
Call records
The police later obtained the call records and last known locations of the deceased and discovered that he was with Nitin. Footage from CCTV camera also confirmed that Nitin and another man was with Pawan just before he was murdered.
“Nitin was detained immediately. Following interrogation, he confessed to Pawan’s murder. He had roped in his friend Mannu, who is a property dealer, for the murder,” Ms. Prasad said.
Nitin told the police about the loan from Pawan and that he decided to get rid of the businessman as he was unable to repay the debt.
“Nitin called Pawan to a secluded place under false pretences. He and Mannu got inside Pawan’s car. They killed him inside the car and disposed the body on the road. The accused fled the spot in Pawan’s car,” Ms. Prasad added.
Pawan’s family told the police that he had left the house in the car but no vehicle was found near the spot where he was dumped by the accused.
The police circulated the registration number of Pawan’s car. Two hours later, they received information that a car matching the description was found abandoned near Madhuban Chowk in Pitampura. However, the police were told that the car had been set on fire.
Pawan was the son of garments trader and lived in Mukherjee Nagar.
The accused have been booked under IPC Section 302 (murder), the police added.
