A 19-year-old man was arrested for allegedly murdering his close friend and attempting to destroy evidence by setting the victim's body on fire in Greater Noida.
A 19-year-old man was arrested for allegedly murdering his close friend and attempting to destroy evidence by setting the victim's body on fire in Greater Noida. The accused, identified as Shahzad alias Bittu, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the murder of 23-year-old Huzaifa, whose partially burnt body was discovered near a canal in Chhirsi village on June 12.
During the arrest, police recovered a blood-stained wooden stick believed to have been used in the killing, three stolen gold bangles and the motorcycle allegedly used to carry out the crime.
After the body was discovered, police formed three special investigation teams to crack the case. According to DCP (Greater Noida) Pravin Ranjan Singh, police used electronic evidence, physical clues and CCTV footage, eventually zeroing in on Shahzad, a resident of Daula Rajpur village.
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Police said Shahzad confessed to the crime during questioning. Probe revealed Shahzad and Huzaifa were close friends and had both fallen into the grip of inhalant-based drug addiction.
According to the probe, Shahzad had recently sought financial help from his family to purchase a mobile phone and support his air-conditioner repair business. However, his family allegedly refused due to his drug addiction.
Around the same period, Huzaifa had allegedly stolen gold bangles from his mother and informed Shahzad and several friends about them while trying to find buyers.
On June 12, Shahzad reportedly convinced Huzaifa that he could help sell the bangles and took him to an isolated location near a canal in Chandrawal village after the two consumed drugs together.
Once at the secluded spot, Shahzad allegedly attacked Huzaifa on the head with a wooden stick before repeatedly beating him until he succumbed to his injuries.
After fleeing with the gold bangles, Shahzad became fearful that Huzaifa might still be alive. To cover his tracks, he allegedly returned to the scene with petrol and set the body on fire before escaping once again.
An FIR has been registered against the accused under BNS Section 103(1) (murder), and further legal proceedings are underway.
