A 28-year-old man was arrested in Ghaziabad for allegedly killing his friend, with whom he had a monetary dispute, in Delhi by crushing his head with heavy objects, police said on Friday. The accused has been identified as Pranjal Deka, a resident of Barpeta district in Assam. He was also involved in a rape case in Assam, they said.
On October 25, the body of a man lying in pool of blood was recovered from a room in Tukmirpur, Delhi. The deceased was later identified as Amit. According to police, on the intervening night of October 23 and 24 Amit asked Pranjal to return the money he had lent him and the two had an argument.
Pranjal then crushed Amit's head with a brick and a wooden plank. The weapons of offence were also found in the room, police said. During investigation, police found that Pranjal, the deceased's college mate, used to visit him frequently.
"When a police team was sent to Guwahati and raids were conducted there, he had left the place and boarded a train for Delhi. On November 8, he was arrested from near Ghaziabad Railway Station," said Ved Prakash Surya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast).
Interrogation revealed that Amit and Pranjal studied B.Tech together in Shillong. After completing the B.Tech, Pranjal shifted to Delhi to work but could not find a job, the DCP said.
He started a business in Guwahati and suffered heavy losses. His girlfriend also implicated him in a rape case, they said. He was jobless for a long time and would often visit Delhi to find a job and used to stay with Amit. He had taken money from Amit which he was not returning, Surya said.
On the intervening night of October 23 and 24, Amit was scolding him for his behaviour and asked him to return his money. They had an altercation and when Amit was sleeping, Pranjal hit him on the head with the wooden plank and brick, the DCP said.
After killing Amit, he locked the room from outside and fled from the spot with the deceased's mobile phone, ATM card and bag. He was in contact with Amit's wife and office colleagues through messages, police said, adding that the victim's ATM card and bag were recovered from his possession.
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