New Delhi, March 10 A 31-year-old scrap tools dealer from central Delhi, who had gone missing after leaving home with Rs 2.5 lakh in cash for business purposes, was found murdered in Faridabad, police said on Tuesday.
The police have apprehended three men in connection with the murder, which reportedly stemmed from a monetary dispute, they said.
The victim, identified as Arib, a resident of Delhi Gate, was reported missing at Chandni Mahal police station late on March 7, they said.
According to his family members, Arib, carrying around Rs 2.5 lakh in cash for scrap business dealings, had left home earlier that day for Faridabad and did not return thereafter.
During the investigation, police found that he was last in contact with Harsh, 25, a resident of Karawal Nagar in northeast Delhi.
Police apprehended Harsh, and during questioning, he revealed that he had handed over his mobile phone to another man named Rahul, aged around 25, who was staying in a rented accommodation in Faridabad.
The police had registered an FIR under section 140(3) (abduction) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Chandni Mahal police station on March 10 and formed a team to trace the missing man.
The police subsequently reached Faridabad to locate Rahul. However, upon reaching the address, officers found that he had vacated the rented premises and left for his native village in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh district, police said.
The police traced Rahul to Aligarh and brought him back for questioning.
During preliminary interrogation, Rahul allegedly confessed that Arib had been murdered in Faridabad and revealed that another accused, Babu, was also involved in the crime.
According to the police, the motive behind the murder appears to be a monetary dispute related to their scrap business.
Following the disclosure, the Delhi and Haryana Police jointly launched a search operation in Faridabad, and recovered Arib's body, they said.
On the other hand, another team simultaneously apprehended the co-accused Babu, police said.
Officials said the case falls under the Faridabad Police's jurisdiction as the place of murder and that of recovery of the body, both of which were in Faridabad.
The accused have been handed over to the Faridabad Police, which will further investigate the case, police added.