New Delhi, February 25 Two brothers are alleged to have abducted a man from whom they had borrowed Rs 4 lakh, killed him with a butcher's knife, and dumped his body in the Najafgarh drain, a police official said on Wednesday.
The victim, Ajay Kumar, who was known for lending money to people, had been missing since February 19, the day the brothers allegedly committed the crime. The police arrested the duo on Tuesday.
Kumar, who had previously had several financial dealings with the brothers, was last seen leaving his house in Prem Nagar on his motorcycle, the police said.
The police said that a missing person report was filed on February 20 at the Aman Vihar police station after Kumar failed to return home from Sector-20 in Delhi's Rohini.
"Despite sustained efforts, no immediate clues about his whereabouts were found," Additional Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan said.
The officer said that on February 23, based on the statement of Kumar's brother, an FIR under section 140(3) (kidnapping) was registered and a special team was constituted.
"During the investigation, CCTV footage and local inquiries revealed that a man with his face covered was seen parking Kumar's motorcycle near an abandoned spot in Prem Nagar. This development raised suspicions of foul play," the additional CP said.
Based on intelligence and technical surveillance, the police identified Sonu (24) and Mehboob Ali (20) as the brothers and detained them for questioning.
"During interrogation, the duo confessed to having murdered Kumar. The accused had taken a loan of Rs 4 lakh from Kumar at a 10 per cent monthly interest rate, but were unable to repay the amount due to financial difficulties," the Additional CP added.
On February 19, when Kumar visited their residence to collect an installment, the brothers allegedly decided to kill him to escape the mounting debt. Mehboob allegedly stabbed Kumar to death with a butcher's knife, the police said.
The brothers then allegedly disposed of the body in the Najafgarh drain in Nilothi Extension, in an attempt to destroy evidence and mislead investigators.
"We have arrested both the accused in connection with the case. At the request of the accused, the body was recovered from the drain. The crime team and forensic science laboratory (FSL) officials examined the spot and collected evidence," the officer said.
"The body was later sent to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial (SGM) Hospital for post-mortem examination," the officer said.
Subsequently, sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) were added to the case.
Kumar was involved in supplying polythene bags to small shopkeepers and also lent money at an interest.
Sonu runs a small hotel in Prem Nagar, while his younger brother Mehboob assists him in the day-to-day operations of the establishment.
Further investigation is underway to collect additional evidence and complete other legal formalities, the police said.