New Delhi: Two truck drivers from Uttar Pradesh have been arrested for allegedly strangulating a 13-year-old girl to death in Southeast Delhi's Tugalakabad area, police said on Friday.
The body of the girl was found near a bio-diversity park in New Delhi with strangulation marks on her neck earlier this month, as per police.
Following the murder, both the accused returned to their village in Uttar Pradesh on the next day, police said.
Police said they received information at Govindpuri police station on September 4 regarding the recovery of an unidentified female body.
Following this, police formed multiple teams to nab the accused. After scanning several cameras and examining several vehicles, police teams zeroed in on a vehicle near the place of the incident, as per police.
Finally, the vehicle was traced and its owner was identified as Sonu Sharma, a resident of Pul Prahlad Pur, New Delhi, police said. During interrogation, Sonu Sharma revealed that his driver Sushil Sharma used the vehicle for the delivery of parcels/articles in Delhi.
"He also provided the ID and mobile number of suspect Sushil Sharma and other unknown persons. Technical surveillance was mounted, location of the suspect was tracked to Uttar Pradesh's Banda district," police said.
A raid was conducted and the suspect was apprehended, police said. "Initially, after denying his involvement, the accused confessed to the crime. He disclosed his friend Neeraj, a truck driver, and the deceased girl were friends for the last few days," police said.
"She wanted to elope with Neeraj but he was unwilling. On August 31, she contacted Neeraj and informed him about her plans to elope with him. But Neeraj said he would arrange for rented accommodation for them in Delhi," police said.
"During the intervening night of August 31 and September 1, they picked up the girl from her village and reached Kanpur via bus," as per police. On September 1, they boarded a train from Kanpur and reached Delhi on the next day.
They left for their workplace after leaving the girl at an underpass of Badarpur flyover, police said.
"They tried to convince her to return home after they could not arrange for a rented accommodation. Fearing her family, she was reluctant to return home," police said.
"To solve the issue, they finally took the girl on September 4 to an isolated place near bio-diversity park in New Delhi and strangulated her," as per police.
"Following the murder, they dumped her body and returned to their village on next day after the murder", police said.
Police further informed that the family members of the deceased girl were contacted who had filed a missing person complaint at Kotwali Dehat Police station, UP. Following this, police had registered a case.
"They identified her photographs. Thereafter, another accused Neeraj was also apprehended from his native village and on sustained interrogation, he also admitted his involvement in the murder of the deceased and was arrested," police said. (ANI)
