Man bludgeoned to death with hammer; two arrested in Dwarka

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) A 38-year-old man was allegedly bludgeoned to death with an iron hammer over a dispute related to a house sale in Dwarka, with police arresting two suspects after analysing around 500 CCTV camera feeds, an officer said on Wednesday. Police said the body of the victim, Akhilesh Mandal, was found on July 12 between a road and a drain near Kargil Chowk in Sector 18A in Delhi's Dwarka. The body had visible tattoos and a head injury, but no identification documents were found. An FIR was registered at Dwarka North Police Station, and teams were formed to arrest the accused. "During the probe, the team examined nearly 500 CCTV camera footage from the crime scene and adjoining routes, besides relying on technical surveillance to identify the victim and trace the suspects," the officer said. Police said the arrested accused have been identified as Anil Thakur (66), a resident of Dharampura in Najafgarh who works as a security guard at a private bank, and Raju Kumar (28), a native of Bihar employed as a cleaning helper. They said Mandal had been staying at Thakur's residence with his consent; however, frequent quarrels allegedly broke out between the two due to the victim's alcohol addiction. "The dispute intensified after Thakur decided to sell his house, which Mandal allegedly opposed. Thakur called Mandal to Sector 13 in Dwarka on July 10, following which he and Kumar allegedly took him to the spot near Kargil Chowk and assaulted him with an iron hammer, causing fatal injuries," the officer said. After the murder, both accused fled to Dharampura in Najafgarh. Investigators alleged that Thakur, who knew Mandal's family, deliberately misled them after the murder, preventing them from reporting him missing and delaying the identification process. Police said the investigation gained momentum after they established the victim's identity through available legal procedures. Police said they recovered the weapon of offence, a blood-stained iron hammer and the victim's mobile phones. They said the investigation is underway. PTI BM ASD ASD