Seven held for killing ragpicker, injuring two while performing car stunts in Gurgaon

The deceased, a ragpicker, was yet to be identified, while two liquor store workers – Annu Kumar Gupta and Sushil Kumar – were admitted to a hospital for treatment.

In the police complaint, Gupta had said that around 1.50 am, he and some workers doing inventory work inside the store heard a commotion and saw that some men in four cars were hurling abuses and fighting among themselves.

“…other workers from the store came outside. We stood near the store’s gate and an unknown ragpicker who usually picks up scrap and empty bottles near the store was standing near us. Two cars were performing dangerous stunts, while the two other car drivers were fighting. They drove their cars at a high speed towards the road outside,” Gupta said in the complaint. “Some minutes later, an Ertiga car drove towards us from far at a high speed and the driver pulled the handbrake just near the gate of the liquor store and rammed the car into me, a colleague and the ragpicker, deliberately with the intention of killing us,” he added.

Police said the ragpicker was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead. An FIR was registered against the accused under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

The police identified the arrested accused as Saurabh Sharma, Rahul, Ravi Singh, Vikas, Mohit, Mukul Soni and Luv.

Police said they recovered CCTV footage purportedly showing the incident. According to the police, the accused in two Ertiga cars were inebriated and performing stunts near the liquor store when they had an altercation with some men in two other cars at the spot. A police officer said, “After the altercation, the two Ertiga cars left, but a few minutes later they returned and an Ertiga car rammed into a ragpicker and staffers of the store at high speed, killing the ragpicker.”

“The accused driver who was behind Ertiga’s wheel at the time of the incident works as a cab driver, another accused is also a driver and a third accused works as a computer operator. One of the accused has a criminal record. One accused suffered injuries and is undergoing treatment, he will be arrested after he is discharged from the hospital,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Preet Pal said. “Two Ertiga cars have been recovered. The involvement of men who were in two other cars and had an altercation with the arrested men will also be probed,” Pal added.