New Delhi

Delhi Police have arrested two accused in connection with the murder of a 38-year-old man whose decomposed body was found near Kargil Chowk in Dwarka, officials said.

According to the police, a complaint was received on July 12 that an unidentified body of a man was found lying in the grass between a road and a drain near Kargil Chowk in Sector 18A, Dwarka. The body had tattoos and bore a visible head injury, and no identification documents were recovered from the body.

Following the complaint, an FIR was registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Dwarka North Police Station.

Joint teams of the Special Staff and Dwarka North Police launched an investigation under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Subhash Malik to trace and apprehend the accused. During the investigation, the teams analysed around 500 CCTV camera footages from the crime scene and adjoining routes. The deceased was later identified as Akhilesh Mandal (38), a resident of Najafgarh.

Based on CCTV footage analysis and technical surveillance, police arrested the two accused, identified as Anil Thakur (66), a resident of Dharampura in Najafgarh, and Raju Kumar (28), a native of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that Mandal had been staying at Thakur's residence with his consent. However, frequent disputes allegedly arose due to the deceased's alcohol addiction. Police said the conflict intensified after Thakur decided to sell his house, a move opposed by Mandal.

According to police, on July 10, Thakur called Mandal to Sector 13 in Dwarka, following which the two accused allegedly took him to a secluded spot and assaulted him, resulting in his death. They allegedly fled to Dharampura, Najafgarh, after the crime.

Police further said Thakur was known to the deceased's family and allegedly misled them after the murder, preventing them from reporting Mandal missing.

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Police have recovered a blood-stained iron hammer believed to have been used in the crime, the clothes worn by the accused at the time of the incident, and their mobile phones.

Further investigation is underway.