Two truck drivers have been apprehended by the authorities on charges of allegedly murdering a minor girl in the Tughlakabad area of southeast Delhi. The incident came to light when law enforcement officials made the announcement on Thursday.
According to police reports, the tragic incident unfolded when the young girl insisted on living with one of the accused individuals. When they advised her to return to her home, she refused. In response, they strangled her.
The grim discovery of an unidentified girl’s lifeless body, estimated to be around 13 to 14 years old, was made on September 4 near the bio-diversity park in the Tughlakabad area. Examination revealed unmistakable signs of strangulation on her neck, as confirmed by a senior police officer.
A meticulous investigation ensued, involving the scrutiny of numerous CCTV recordings. The investigators ultimately homed in on a vehicle near the crime scene, registered in the name of Sonu Sharma, as reported by an officer overseeing the case.
Upon questioning Sonu, it was revealed that Sushil Sharma, a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, frequently operated the vehicle for parcel deliveries within Delhi. Sushil had returned from his hometown, accompanied by an unidentified individual, on September 2. The following evening, at around 7 pm, Sushil requested the vehicle keys from Sonu to use it for resting overnight, according to the police.
On September 6, Sushil, accompanied by his friend Neeraj, who hailed from the same village, departed for their native place. Neeraj, a professional truck driver, had previous acquaintances with the victim, who harbored aspirations of eloping with him. However, Neeraj was reluctant to participate in such a plan, as explained by Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Rajesh Deo.
On August 31, the victim contacted Neeraj and implored him to help her escape her home situation. When Neeraj shared this information with Sushil, the latter assured him that he would secure a rented accommodation for them in Delhi, according to the DCP.
On the same day, the trio collected the girl from her village and traveled to Kanpur by bus. Subsequently, they took a train and arrived in Delhi on September 2, according to police sources.
Frustrated by their inability to secure rented lodgings, Sushil and Neeraj attempted to convince the girl to return to her village. However, she adamantly refused, fearing the consequences from her family, the police stated.
On September 4, the two men took the girl to an isolated location near the bio-diversity park in Tughlakabad, Govindpuri, where they allegedly strangled her to death. They abandoned her lifeless body at the scene and returned to their village, according to law enforcement.
On a subsequent Monday, Sushil was apprehended in his village, where he purportedly confessed to his involvement in the heinous act, as reported by the DCP.
The victim’s family, who had previously filed a kidnapping case at the Kotwali Dehat police station in Banda, positively identified her through photographs. Consequently, another suspect, Neeraj, was also apprehended at his place of residence, the police concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
