DJB Assistant Engineer Murdered: Accused Spent More Than 10 Hours With Body, Was Locked Down, Police Say | delhi news

“Ponty had to spend more than 10 hours with Rathi’s body… He struggled to find the key to escape. At around 8am on November 1, Ponty managed to open the door and escape,” an officer said.

The police also said that it was possible that just about 10 days before the murder, the two bumped into each other at a dairy shop near Rathi’s house and started a friendship. Moreover, CCTV camera footage revealed that Bunty met Rathi near the apartment on October 25 and 27 as well.

Rathi was found dead in a pool of blood inside his locked house by his son on November 2. While he lived in Sector 24 in Rohini, Rathi would sometimes visit the apartment in Begumpur and stay there. At first the family didn’t think anything was wrong, but when Rathi stopped answering phone calls, his son decided to check on him. When the apartment door was opened, the son found Rathi lying in a pool of blood near the bathroom entrance, police said.

CCTV footage showed Rathi entering the apartment with a man wearing a black jacket on October 31. However, the man did not leave the apartment until the next morning. Rathi’s son will make a PCR call the next day.

Almost immediately, they suspected the man of entering Rathi’s house on October 31, the officer said. “We checked the CCTV footage and found that the man met the victim on October 25 and 27 as well. We got the (license plate) number of his motorcycle from the CCTV footage and traced him to Aman Vihar. We have pulled files of some criminals in the area and matched the file with the suspect,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Vijay Singh said Thursday.

Police discovered that Ponte had been arrested in six cases on charges of gambling, theft and possession of illegal weapons.

Several teams of about 200 police personnel were assigned to track down Ponty. “He used to turn his phone on and off,” Singh said. On November 1, Bunty was seen traveling to Kashmir Gate, and the next day his phone showed that he was in Vikaspuri and Aman Vihar. On November 3, Ponty turned on his phone once near banquet halls in Biragarhi and the next day at Madhuban Chowk. On November 5, he was seen roaming around Rohini, Wazirpur and Vikaspuri.

Police said they knew that the suspect was frequenting his house in Aman Vihar and was hiding in Vikaspuri. “When we spoke to his family members, they said he asked if the police had come to the house,” Singh said.

Ponty was finally arrested on Wednesday from his partner’s house in Vikaspuri, where police recovered the jewelery and cash he had stolen from Rathi’s apartment.

Rathi’s family and neighbors confirmed that he was sociable and friendly, police said. “He was making rounds in his neighborhood and talking to people at the paan shop. Ponty’s gym was also nearby. We believe the two met at the paan shop eight to ten days before the murder,” the officer said.

After meeting Bunty on October 25 and 27 near the apartment, Rathi invited him upstairs for drinks on October 31, police said.

Police said it was unlikely that Bunty had visited Rathi with a plan to rob and kill him. While the two were sitting and drinking drinks, Ponty may have seen the opportunity to overpower Rathi and rob him, officers said.

“The two suffered a lot… I think Bunty did not expect Rathi to put up a fight. Perhaps he was hoping that Rathi would get scared and hand over the jewellery,” Singh said.

In the ensuing scuffle, Ponty stabbed Rathi once in the neck, police said. Then, when he collected the jewelry and cash and tried to leave, he found it locked.