‘He resisted when they tried to snatch his phone… One of them stabbed him’: 24-year-old killed in Delhi park

Police said initially a case of attempted murder under BNS was lodged, which was converted to murder after Viresh died during treatment an hour after he was brought to the hospital.

Police said the incident occurred around 7.15 pm. “He was accompanied by a woman who witnessed the entire incident… The robbery angle is being probed based on the statement of the friend,” said a senior officer.

“The woman ran out of the park during the scuffle and called for help. After that she called a mutual friend who rushed to the spot and took the victim to the hospital,” the officer added.

Abhishek Thakur, a colleague of Viresh and the woman, said the three worked at a CCTV camera shop at Sahibabad in Ghaziabad. “We worked on a commission basis, handled the money that came from the sales, and worked with clients and customers… (the woman) worked from home,” he added.

Thakur said that on Wednesday, the woman and Viresh had decided to meet at the park near Viresh’s house since he needed to hand over some cash to her.

“Late evening, I got a call from her… she was panicking and crying… she said that someone had killed Viresh… She told me that they were walking around the park when a group of four-five men approached them and robbed them. While they were trying to snatch Viresh’s cellphone, he resisted… One of the robbers stabbed him and the accused ran away,” he added. Police said they have recovered the bag stolen from Viresh and are yet to recover his cellphone.

On Thursday, Viresh’s relatives waited for his body to be released from the hospital mortuary after postmortem examination. Mukesh Rathore, Viresh’s elder brother, still cannot believe he will never see Viresh again. “I just spoke to him yesterday,” he said. He added, “We received a call from one of his colleagues last night about the incident… Viresh had left his office an hour earlier than usual… he said he was going to meet a friend.”

Mukesh recalled that his brother was smart and ambitious. “He had just turned 24… he has been working and supporting our family since he was in Class 10. The friend he went to meet was the one who got him this job. He was happy because it paid a lot more than his previous job. He was earning Rs 20,000 per month here, along with commissions he made from the sales,” he said.

Mukesh had sent his parents and sister to their village in Bareilly before the body was released. “They wouldn’t be able to bear this sight,” he added.

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