22-year-old priest arrested for killing friend with chopper in New Delhi
New Delhi: A 22-year-old priest was arrested recently in New Delhi for allegedly murdering his friend, after he was reportedly verbally abused and slapped by the latter.
The accused was identified as Kartik and the deceased as Devdas (55). Kartik, has been working as a priest at a temple in Palam’s Raj Nagar for the past three years, according to DCP (Southwest) Surendra Choudhary, as quoted by The Indian Express on Sunday.
The two had been friends for the past year and a half, and Kartik was also acquainted with Rama Devi (54) who was Devdas’s companion. Devdas lived on the second floor of a building he owned in Raj Nagar, part of which he had rented out.
On the night of October 21, Devdas invited Kartik to his home for drinks while Rama was visiting her hometown in Andhra Pradesh. After consuming a few drinks, Devdas allegedly began hurling insults at Kartik.
“Angered by this, Kartik took a chopper, which Devdas used to keep under his pillow, and killed him with it,” the DCP stated, adding that the accused claimed Devdas had slapped him two to three times earlier as well.
Police said Kartik stashed the body in a gunny bag and returned home to change his clothes. He then came back and slept at Devdas’s house. An officer told the news outlet that Kartik continued to visit the flat daily until October 27 to turn on the water motor. The tenants living on the top floor did not suspect anything, as this was a task that had been Devdas’s responsibility.
On October 30, Devdas’s sister-in-law, Asha, made a PCR call reporting a foul smell emanating from his apartment and said that the family had not seen him for a week.
The DCP stated that upon reaching Devdas’s residence, one room was found locked. The fire brigade broke the lock, and a gunny bag containing Devdas’s decomposed body was found.
Devdas’s nephew Vijay Sharma told the publication that while Devdas never fought with anyone, he would get angry easily. He relied on the rent he received each month as his source of livelihood. Vijay added that Rama had been living with Devdas for the past 15 years.
Police said Kartik, who went missing on October 27, was traced to his village in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah. A raid was conducted and he was arrested.
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Family of injured driver in murder of Suvendu's aide seeks exemplary punishment
Kolkata (PTI): The family of Buddhabeb Bera, the driver injured in the shooting that killed BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's close aide Chandranath Rath, demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible and urged the new government to ensure such incidents do not happen in West Bengal.
Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram near Kolkata on Wednesday night, triggering a political storm in the state. Bera, who was driving the vehicle at the time of the attack, sustained gunshot wounds and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Family members said they learned about the incident through television and immediately left for Kolkata.
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"We came to know from TV reports that my nephew had been shot. We still do not know who carried out the attack or why it happened," Buddhabeb's uncle Biswajit Bera said.
"Our only wish now is that he recovers and returns home safely," he added.
Buddhabeb, 25, hails from Majnaberia village in the Chandipur police station area in Purba Medinipur district.
According to family members, he mostly stays in Kolkata for work and visits home occasionally during weekends.
Besides his parents, his younger brother, sister-in-law and several relatives have also travelled to Kolkata following the incident.
Demanding strict action against the perpetrators, the uncle said, "We want the government to conduct a proper investigation and identify those directly involved in the crime. They should be given exemplary punishment so that such incidents do not happen again in West Bengal and no other family has to go through this grief."
A neighbour, Ranjana Ghorai, also sought stringent punishment for those behind the attack.
"In our neighbourhood, we call him Sona. We want exemplary punishment for the people responsible for this incident," she said.
Rath's family members have demanded life imprisonment for the accused, while Adhikari has called for capital punishment for those involved in the killing.
