Three e-rickshaw drivers were arrested in Noida for allegedly killing a man on the suspicion of having an illicit relationship with the wife of one of them, police said.
A mobile phone and ATM card of the deceased, Ajay Mukhiya (24), and an e-rickshaw used to dump his body have been recovered, officials said.
According to the police, Ajay, who lived in a slum in the Raipur Pushta area with his wife and two children, often visited his distant relatives Ram Vachan Manjhi (28) and Sajan Manjhi alias Sajjan (35), who lived in the same locality.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Yamuna Prasad said it was Ram Vachan who conspired with Sajan to kill Ajay. “On December 28, Sajan called Ajay to Raipur area on the pretext of drinking liquor. Ram Vachan was already present there. The three went to a secluded spot near Asgarpur village in Sector 128. When Ajay became heavily intoxicated, the two took him in an e-rickshaw to an isolated location and strangled him to death,” Prasad said.
First, the accused buried the body nearby and returned home. But the following day, Ram Vachan contacted his friend Ashok Manjhi (27), wrapped the body in a plastic sack and put it in Ashok’s e-rickshaw before dumping it into a drain, the police said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Shavya Goyal said, “To avoid suspicion, the accused even pretended to search for Ajay and visited police along with Ajay’s wife. Ajay’s body was identified on January 1. During interrogation, Ram Vachan and Sajan confessed to the crime and also revealed Ashok’s role.”
Station House Officer (SHO) Sumnesh Kumar said the three accused are natives of Samastipur district in Bihar.