Delhi murder: Taxi driver, wife, son held over fatal fare dispute
A 59-year-old taxi driver was arrested along with his wife and son after he allegedly killed a passenger over a fare dispute and attempted to conceal the body in West Delhi’s Naraina Vihar. All three were taken into custody on Friday night, the police said on Saturday.
The deceased, estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old, has not yet been identified. The body was found on a pavement in C-Block, Naraina Vihar, on August 17. Police said the man had a deep injury on the right side of his head and multiple other injuries.
“There was also a distinctive heart-shaped tattoo with an arrow on his left forearm, bearing the names ‘Anand’ and ‘Renu’. The site had blood and pieces of an earthen-pot-like object nearby,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hareshwar Swami.
The body was shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Crime and forensic teams inspected the scene, and an FIR was registered in connection with the murder.
Police scanned CCTV footage from the area and adjoining routes. A suspicious car was seen moving near the crime scene around the time of the incident. The vehicle was traced to its owner, Rajinder Kumar, alias Annu, who was apprehended within four hours of the FIR being registered.
During interrogation, Rajinder allegedly told police that he had picked up the deceased from IFFCO Chowk in Gurugram. A dispute arose over the fare, which was around ₹1,000 to ₹1,500, and the passenger refused to pay the full amount, police said.
Rajinder allegedly assaulted the passenger with bricks and an earthen pot, causing fatal injuries. He then called his wife, Kamini Mukhija, 50, and son, Laksh Makhija, 28, to the spot. The two allegedly helped him conceal the deceased’s clothes and dispose of evidence related to the vehicle used in the crime.
The police recovered the deceased’s shoes and clothes at Laksh’s instance. The car allegedly used in the offence was also recovered based on information provided by Kamini, the police said.
“We scanned hundreds of CCTV recordings to corroborate the sequence of events and establish the movement of the accused, the deceased and the vehicle. We are yet to identify the deceased,” Mr. Swami said. The police have appealed to anyone with information about a missing person matching the description to come forward.
