Delhi cops caught a man’s killers. They still don’t know who he is

A heart-shaped tattoo bearing the names “ANAND” and “RENU” on the victim’s left forearm. (Express Photo)

It started with a call about a body

The case came to light when police received a PCR call about a body found near C-52, C-Block, in West Delhi’s Naraina Vihar.

When police reached the spot, they found a man, aged around 30-35, lying naked on a pavement near the wall of a Seva Bharti NGO.

The victim had a deep injury on the right side of his head and several other injuries on his body. Police also noticed the heart-shaped tattoo with an arrow.

Forensic and crime teams examined the spot, collecting samples and documenting the blood spatter on the bricks and broken pieces of an earthen-pot-like object.

Police said the body was shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and a murder case was registered at Naraina police station.

A suspicious car, 3 arrests

With the identity of the victim unknown, investigators turned to CCTV footage from the area and adjoining routes. During the analysis, police noticed a suspicious vehicle.

“The vehicle’s registration number was initially unclear. Investigators analysed successive CCTV recordings to reconstruct its route before and after the crime. After examining around 500 CCTV footages and conducting field verification, police identified the vehicle as a Maruti Eeco,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hareshwar Swami said.

Police said the vehicle’s driver, Rajinder Kumar alias Annu, 59, was swiftly traced and apprehended. He lives with his wife and children in Naraina village, an officer said.

According to police, Rajinder said he had picked up the deceased and another person from IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon.

During the journey, he claimed, a dispute allegedly broke out over the fare of around Rs 1,000-1,500. The victim, Rajinder claimed, refused to pay.

Police said Rajinder allegedly assaulted him with bricks and an earthen-pot-like object, causing fatal injuries.

After the incident, police said he allegedly called his wife, Kamini Mukhija, 50, and their 28-year-old son, Laksh Makhija, to the spot.

Together, they allegedly concealed the deceased’s clothes and the vehicle allegedly used in the crime. The body was dumped in Delhi.

All three have been arrested. “The clothes the victim was wearing were recovered from the jungle. The accused also claimed the victim was also not carrying a mobile phone, wallet or cash,” the officer said.

This is being verified, said police.

Search for a name continues

Apart from the tattoo, police may have another lead.

During the investigation, police learnt that the victim had been travelling with another person, who was dropped near Safdarjung Enclave before the alleged murder.

“The accused car driver told us that while dropping this person in Safdarjung Enclave, he told him that the fare would be paid. However, the victim did not reveal the exact address of his destination, and they later got into a fight,” a police officer said.

Police are now analysing CCTV footage to trace the victim’s companion, who could help establish his identity.

Teams are also using ZIPNet — a database to track missing persons — and other technical processes to identify the deceased.

Police have sent photographs of the victim to neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, but have so far received no leads, the officer said.