A 40-year-old labourer from Uttar Pradesh was allegedly strangled to death by his co-worker following a dispute over a demand for “unnatural sex” at a brick kiln in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Bholeram Chauhan, a native of Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by Dholka Rural police on November 3.

The deceased, Pawan Kumar alias Commander, was from Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh and had travelled to Gujarat with other labourers to work at the brick kiln.

The incident took place between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on November 1 near a canal on the outskirts of Mandanpura village in Dholka taluka.

According to police, the two labourers had left the kiln during dinner, saying they were going to fetch something, but did not return for a long time. The labourers’ supervisor subsequently went looking for them.

While heading towards the canal, he encountered Bholeram coming from the opposite direction. During questioning, the accused allegedly told him that Pawan Kumar had demanded unnatural sex, leading to an argument and a physical altercation between the two.

Bholeram allegedly strangled Pawan Kumar using the belt of his trousers. The supervisor took the accused towards the canal, where Pawan Kumar’s body was found near the boundary of an agricultural field.

He subsequently brought Bholeram back to the brick kiln and informed the owner, who alerted the police. Pawan Kumar had arrived at the brick kiln with other workers on the afternoon of November 1.

The group had spent the afternoon constructing a room for their accommodation. “The workers were preparing to have dinner when Pawan Kumar and Bholeram left the premises,” officials said.

The deceased’s elder brother lodged a complaint at Dholka Rural Police Station on November 2, following which a murder case was registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

An official told media, “During questioning on November 3, Bholeram confessed to the crime. He was arrested at 5:30 p.m., and police initiated the process to seek his remand.”

The body was sent to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway.

The North District Police arrested six people in connection with a robbery of Rs 70 lakh near the Gulabi Bagh Underpass in Delhi’s Roop Nagar area and recovered Rs 30.23 lakh in cash, a motorcycle and other items.

According to the police, the robbery took place on October 24 when the complainant was returning to Mayapuri on his scooty after collecting Rs 70 lakh in cash from Kucha Ghasi Ram in Chandni Chowk, on his employer’s instructions.

After collecting and counting the money, he placed it in a black backpack and kept it on the front footrest of his scooty. At around 9.30 p.m., when he reached D.N. Road near the Gulabi Bagh Underpass and Roshanara Park, three unidentified men on a motorcycle approached him from behind and blocked his way.

One of the accused threw chilli powder into his eyes, while the other two assaulted him. The trio then snatched the backpack containing Rs 70 lakh and fled. Following the incident, an FIR was registered at Roop Nagar police station on October 26 under Sections 309(6) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

A joint team of the Roop Nagar police station and Special Staff of the North District was constituted to investigate the case. The initial breakthrough came from CCTV footage obtained from Kucha Mahajani in Chandni Chowk, which showed two Apache motorcycles following the complainant’s scooty as he left the area.

The police identified the registration numbers of both motorcycles. Further technical surveillance and analysis of Call Detail Records (CDRs) helped identify the suspects. Subsequently, coordinated raids were conducted in Delhi, Rajasthan and Bihar.

The six arrested accused were identified as Chandan Kumar (20), Sushobhan alias Sonu (28), Manish Kumar alias Vicky (21), Yogesh Kumar (30), Seetu (31) and Mantu Yadav (25). They are residents of Bihar, Delhi and Jharkhand.

On October 29, the police arrested Yogesh Kumar from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan and recovered Rs 1,53,500 from his possession. On the same day, another accused, Seetu, was arrested from his residence in Burari, Delhi, with Rs 11.80 lakh in cash.

On October 30, three more accused, Chandan Kumar, Sushobhan alias Sonu and Manish Kumar alias Vicky were arrested during raids in Bihar. The police recovered Rs 50 lakh from Chandan, Rs 1 lakh from Sushobhan and Rs 5.29 lakh from Manish.

During further interrogation of Yogesh and Seetu, the police received information that led to the arrest of the mastermind, Mantu Yadav, on October 31 from Fatak Barwalan in Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk. At his instance, a black bag containing Rs 8.10 lakh was recovered from his residence. Three debit cards and a PAN card, all bearing his name, were also found in the bag.

According to the police, Mantu played a key role in planning and coordinating the robbery. While working as a cleaner at a shop in Kucha Mahajani, he became familiar with the movement of people carrying large amounts of cash from the area. He allegedly brought the other accused together and, with the assistance of his associate Vakil, shared information about potential targets.

During interrogation, Mantu disclosed that he had deposited Rs 3.01 lakh from his share of the robbed money into different bank accounts. These included his Punjab National Bank and Bank of India accounts, as well as accounts belonging to his mother and sister. The police are verifying the deposits through bank records.

The police said Seetu has six previous involvements in robbery cases. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to verify the identities and roles of two other suspects, Pawan and Vakil, and apprehend them.

Delhi Police have arrested three accused persons in connection with a gold jewellery theft case in Karol Bagh and recovered the entire stolen jewellery weighing approximately 400 grams, worth around Rs 45 lakh, an official said on Wednesday.

According to the police, the accused executed the theft by impersonating traffic regulators and distracting the complainant before stealing the jewellery from a bag kept on his motorcycle.

The incident took place on November 1, when the complainant visited Mahalaxmi Jewellers (firm name: Swastik), located in Beadonpura, Karol Bagh, to collect gold ornaments weighing approximately 400 grams.

After collecting the jewellery at around 6 p.m., he kept it in a bag hanging behind his motorcycle and proceeded towards his office at Britannia Chowk. However, upon reaching his office, he discovered that the bag’s chain had been opened and the jewellery was missing. Subsequently, an e-FIR was registered at Karol Bagh police station, and an investigation was initiated.

Considering the seriousness of the case, a dedicated police team comprising SI Amit Yadav, ASI Jitender, Head Constable Avinash and Constable Hariom was formed under the supervision of the SHO, Karol Bagh, and the ACP, Karol Bagh.

During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from the surrounding areas, which revealed that three persons had jointly executed the theft near the intersection of Bank Street and Beadonpura.

One of the accused posed as a traffic regulator and stopped the complainant’s motorcycle, while another allegedly opened the bag and removed the jewellery. The third accused provided cover and facilitated the theft.

Through extensive CCTV analysis, local intelligence and examination of criminal records, police identified two suspects.

Acting on specific intelligence, the team apprehended them from the Anand Parbat area on November 3. During interrogation, they disclosed the involvement of their third associate, who was subsequently arrested from the same area.

The arrested accused have been identified as Bharat (27), Kapil alias Rahul (33), both residents of Punjabi Basti, Anand Parbat, and Kavya Aryan Saini alias Bhanja (22), a resident of Than Singh Nagar, Anand Parbat.

During interrogation, the accused admitted their involvement in the theft. Police said they used to target crowded and congested areas, impersonating traffic regulators to avoid suspicion.

They would identify people carrying heavy bags and distract them while other members of the gang stealthily removed valuables, including cash, mobile phones and jewellery.

Police said the accused resorted to such activities to sustain their livelihood and fulfil their personal needs.

The entire stolen gold jewellery, weighing approximately 400 grams and valued at Rs 45 lakh, has been recovered.

Police further stated that Kapil alias Rahul is a Bad Character (BC) of Anand Parbat police station and has 14 previous criminal involvements, including cases related to murder, robbery, theft and the Arms Act.

Bharat is also a habitual offender with previous involvement in criminal cases, including murder and theft.