Date:18/07/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/07/18/stories/2007071851410300.htm

New Delhi

Year-old murder mystery in the Capital solved

Staff Reporter

Accused had buried the body inside his house, fled to Bihar

Skeletal remains of a 28-year-old man were found in a Khajuri Khas house earlier this month
Victim Dharmender allegedly had illicit relations with the accused Vijay’s wife

NEW DELHI: Two men have been arrested on charges of killing a 28-year-old man whose skeletal remains were found in a house at Khajuri Khas here earlier this month. The victim was murdered about a year ago.

The police received a call on July 7 from Rakesh Sharma informing them that a skeleton had been found in his house. Parts of the shirt of the deceased, some packets of salt and other articles were also found nearby.

Rakesh told the police that he bought the house from Vijay Singh a few months ago and rented it out. However, the tenants complained that the house was haunted and left one after the other. Rakesh then consulted a tantrik who advised him to perform “pooja”. During the course of the ritual, he accidentally stepped on a cemented portion that caved in, giving off a foul odour. On scraping the surface, Rakesh found a skeleton and alerted the police.

The police kept the body in mortuary for identification and began preparing a list of those who had lived in the house in the past. Enquiries led them to one Satender who disclosed that his brother Dharmender had been missing for the past one year. He identified the articles found in the house as that of his brother. Satender told the police that Dharmender used to visit the Khajuri Khas house in connection with his business.

Investigations revealed that after selling the house the previous owner Vijay had vanished from the scene. The police found that he had left for his village at Samastipur in Bihar. A team was despatched to his village and he was located.

During interrogation, Vijay purportedly confessed to having murdered Dharmender as he had developed illicit relations with his wife. Vijay’s daughter had also seen the duo in a compromising position.

In August 2006 when Dharmender once went to the house looking for Vijay’s wife, she was not there. Vijay allegedly offered him liquor till he lost consciousness. Vijay then allegedly strangled him along with his accomplices Ram Parvesh and Rajan. They then buried the body inside the house, cemented the floor to evade detection and then sold the house before fleeing away.

At Vijay’s instance, the police have arrested Ram Parvesh and are on the lookout for Rajan.