A 52-year-old man who allegedly had failed to pay back a loan amounting to US$335 (25,000 Indian rupees) was reportedly found slashed with a meat cleaver and heinously decapitated, his gruesome remains retrieved from an agricultural field in Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, India.
The deceased, Shehzad, a resident of Delhi’s Old Seemapuri and a house painter by profession, had been reported missing since Monday, July 12. His headless and decaying body would, however, turn up on Friday, July 16, in a remote field. Judging by the state of decomposition, authorities believe his body was found at least four days after his murder, police said on Sunday, July 18.
Law enforcement have reportedly arrested Riyast Khan, 35, and Javed, 30, in connection with the murder. Khan has been accused of killing Shahzad in a horrific fashion, with the help of his friend Javed and his nephew, after the victim failed to repay a loan amounting to US$335 (25,000 Indian rupees). Police said that Khan's nephew, Nadeem, is still at large, the Indian Express reported.
Shehzad, whose work was displaced last year by the pandemic, had reportedly loaned money from Khan. However, when Khan asked for his money back earlier this year, Shehzad allegedly hurled abuses and threatened to hurt him and his family members.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sathiyasundaram, Khan lured Shahjad to Baghpat in his Esteem car on the pretext of providing him a contract to paint a house and also eat mangoes on a farm. Javed and Nadeem, who joined them on the way, reportedly offered alcohol to Shahzad, got him drunk, took him to the field, and allegedly butchered him with a meat cleaver.
The trio then allegedly severed Shahzad’s head and threw it in a canal near Muradnagar while returning to Delhi, Hindustan Times reported.
According to CCTV footage obtained near his residence, Shahzad had left home on Monday, July 12, and had not returned since. On Tuesday, a missing person report was lodged by his family at Seemapuri Police Station.
A few days later, on July 16, a headless and decomposing body was found in a field in Baghpat. Shahzad’s family members identified the body by the clothes and identification marks on the body. The head was reported missing, the DCP said.
“We registered a case of kidnapping, murder, and destruction of evidence under Indian Penal Code’s Sections 365, 302, and 201 at the Seemapuri police station, and an investigation was taken up,” said DCP.
Police's preliminary investigation reportedly revealed that Shahzad was last seen with Khan. Following this, the police sent raiding teams and arrested Khan and Javed from Delhi. Khan is reportedly Shehzad’s neighbor and the two have known each other for years.
When Khan was interrogated by the police, he confessed to his involvement in the murder and revealed the role of Nadeem and Javed.
Police are currently trying to locate Nadeem and take him into custody.
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