Man beaten to death inside bus over spilled food, 1 held

A 35-year-old man was found dead with severe internal injuries near the Bawana flyover here on February 2, police officials said on Sunday.

The police got information about a man found lying unconscious. Initially, the police did not find any external injuries, following which they registered a case under Section 155 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the officials said.

However, the post-mortem revealed severe internal injuries. Later, the police registered a murder case. The deceased was identified as Manoj, alias Babu.

According to the police, Manoj worked as a wedding cook. He, along with one of his colleagues, Dinesh, attended a wedding event in Sultanpur Dabas on the night of February 1. They packed some leftover food and boarded a Rural Transport Vehicle (RTV) bus while returning home.

“During the journey, some food spilled on to a seat, which enraged the driver and his two accomplices. They allowed Dinesh to get off the bus at Bawana Chowk and held Manoj hostage,” said a senior police officer.

The accused allegedly forced Manoj to clean the spill with his shirt and hurled abuses at him. “The trio also thrashed him. Bus driver Ashish, alias Ashu, allegedly shoved an iron rod in his private part, causing grievous injuries. After Manoj lost consciousness, they dumped him near Bawana flyover and fled,” the officer added.

A day later, his identity was confirmed through his brother, Jitendra. The police registered a case under Sections 103(1), 3, and 5 of the BNS at the Bawana police station.

“We scrutinised CCTV footage to track down the suspects and identified the bus involved in the crime,” the officer said.

One of the accused, Sushant Sharma, alias Chutkuli (24), a resident of Karala, has been arrested, while efforts are on to nab the driver and another accomplice. The RTV bus used in the crime has also been recovered. Further investigation is underway.