‘Introverted, short-tempered’: Man who stabbed, bludgeoned girl to death would occasionally pick fights with neighbours over petty issues

Said Kamlesh, a neighbour, “He came from a good family and his father, Sarfaraz, was a well-known welder, while his mother ran a grocery store nearby…he has three sisters, one of whom worked at a private firm and the others, aged 15 and 16, were in school…all of them remained busy in their respective work and they had no criminal history.”

Sahil and his family had been living in the area for the last two years and stayed at a two-room set at a rent of Rs 3,500, said neighbours.

A resident of the area said Sahil would squabble with them when told to remove the family’s furniture or other items from the roadside.

Said Rekha, another neighbour, “I last saw Sahil washing his bike outside his house…his family also left their house on Monday and before leaving, on being enquired, Sarfaraz said that his son was being framed in a case which is why he was leaving the place.”

A police officer said, “The accused and the deceased knew each other for the last two to three years and both of them had met through a common friend…over time, their bond grew strong… recently, they had a quarrel which enraged the boy…”

The accused was upset with the deceased over their strained relationship, said police. “They started dating in June 2021 but recently had several fights over petty issues. The girl wanted to end the relationship but the accused kept pressuring her to continue it. When she refused to take his calls, he got angry and threatened her 2-3 days back. We are bringing him to Delhi (from UP) and will question him as to whether it was a pre-planned incident or he killed her due to sudden provocation,” said an officer.