NOIDA: The Noida police have arrested three individuals for strangulating a 24-year-old man to death in Asgarpur over suspicion of the man’s extra marital affair with one of the suspects’ wife, solving the case within 24 hours of FIR registration, police said on Saturday.
An autopsy subsequently confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation (Representative photo)
According to police, the 24-year-old, identified as Ajay Mukhiya, was strangled on December 28 by two of his relatives — Ram Bachan Manjhi, 28, and Sajan Manjhi, 35. The third suspect, 27-year-old Ashok, was held for allegedly helping to dispose of Mukhiya’s body and dumping it into a drain, police said.
The incident came to life after Mukhiya’s wife lodged a missing person complaint at Sector 126 police station on January 2. She told police that Mukhiya had gone missing a few days ago, and now his body had been found.
Police said Bachan, Sajjan and Mukhiya lived nearby in Raipur Pushta and were relatives. During interrogation, Bachan allegedly told police that he suspected Mukhiya of trying to establish a relationship with his wife, which had led to repeated altercations between them over the past few weeks.
Noida deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Yamuna Prasad said: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects invited Mukhiya for drinks. They took him to an isolated stretch near Asgarpur and made him drink excessively. Once Mukhiya was intoxicated, the two accused assaulted and strangled him.”
An autopsy subsequently confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation.
Police said the body was initially buried at the spot. The next day, the two suspects allegedly sought Ashok’s help to dispose of the corpse. The three packed Mukhiya’s body in a plastic bag, transported it on an e-rickshaw to a drain near Ghoda Farm–Jindal Farm stretch, and dumped it there, police said.
The DCP added: “Initially, the suspects tried to mislead others by pretending to find Mukhiya after his disappearance. However, electronic surveillance, local intelligence inputs and sustained questioning helped the police team solve the case within 24 hours of the FIR being registered.”
Police said the e-rickshaw used to transport the body and Mukhiya’s mobile phone and ATM card were also recovered after questioning the suspects.
An FIR was registered under sections 103 (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Sector 126 police station, and further investigation is underway, police said.