Man dies after being thrown into canal by man he had allegedly ratted on, two held
New Delhi: A 20-year-old man died of drowning after being pushed into the Haidepur water treatment plant canal in Delhi’s Rohini last week, allegedly for ratting out on his killer who was in a relationship with a woman, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday after arresting two suspects.
The victim, Rohan Noonwal, couldn’t save himself from death as there was a 15-foot-high wall along the stretch of the canal where he was pushed, said SD Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini district).
When Noonwal’s body was found, the police used CCTV footage to ascertain it was a murder rather than an accident. “We identified the suspects, Ankit Tushir and Anshu, based on the suspicion of Noonwal’s family. Both were arrested on Tuesday and they have confessed to killing Noonwal,” the DCP said.
Noonwal lived with his family in Shahbad Daultapur village in outer Delhi. He ran a business of vehicle accessories.
In the same village lived Tushir, a 25-year-old man who is in the housekeeping staff of Delhi Technical University, said the DCP. “Tushir was in a relationship with a woman in this village. The woman’s parents were against the relationship. A few days ago, Noonwal allegedly revealed to the woman’s family about her relationship with Tushir. That led to the woman’s family beating up Tushir,” said the officer.
The officer said Tushir held a grudge against Noonwal. To “teach him a lesson”, Tushir allegedly roped in his friend Anshu, a 19-year-old man who works odd jobs.
On Saturday evening, when Noonwal was closing his shop, the two suspects allegedly approached him and offered to clear misunderstandings. “The suspects were working as per a plan to take Noonwal to the canal to teach him a lesson. They rode his motorcycle with Noonwal sandwiched between them, showed CCTV footage,” said the officer.
While they were sitting on a wall along the canal to discuss the issue, the two suspects caught Noonwal by his limbs and threw him in the canal, said the DCP.
Another investigator said murder may not have been on the mind of the suspects, but once Noonwal landed in the water, he could not get out due to the steep wall surrounding the water body.
The two suspects left the spot with Noonwal’s motorcycle, his two mobile phones and his wallet.
The police were informed about a body at 11.40 pm on Sunday, just hours before Noonwal’s family approached them with a missing complaint. Once the victim was identified as Noonwal, the police checked the CCTV footage to confirm it was a murder.
On Tuesday, Noonwal’s family pointed their finger at Tushir who was soon arrested, said the DCP. His friend, Anshu, too was arrested the same day.