The Hindu : Samaritan helps nab killers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Samaritan helps nab killers

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 13. Displaying rare courage and presence of mind, a young management student helped the Delhi police catch two persons who had allegedly robbed and killed a man at Delhi Cantonment in South-West Delhi today. The Good Samaritan gave the duo a long chase and informed a Police Control Room (PCR) van just in time following which the accused were arrested.

According to the police, Shailender Nayak, a resident of Basai Darapur in West Delhi and working as a marketing executive with a private company, was on his way to office when he stopped his scooter by the roadside near Brar Square at Dhaula Kuan around 8-45 a.m. to relieve himself. Just then two men came from behind and stabbed him twice in his back. As he collapsed, the duo took away his mobile phone and other belongings. The Police Control Room (PCR) received the call about the incident at 8-55 a.m. Shailender was rushed to the Base Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries some time later.

Around the same time, Varun Sachdeva, a resident of Rajouri Garden in West Delhi, happened to pass by on his motorcycle. He was on his way to Fore School of Management at Qutab Institutional Area where he is pursuing a management course. Varun witnessed the incident and began chasing the duo on his scooter. The assailants tried to dodge Varun by driving zig-zag on the road, but Varun persisted.

After about 10 minutes of chase -- from Dhaula Kuan to Teen Murti and then towards Vijay Chowk -- Varun spotted a PCR van, V-38, standing on Hukmi Bai-Dalhousie Marg intersection near Vijay Chowk in New Delhi around 9-05 a.m.

The message was flashed and five PCR vans began chasing the assailants who crossed Vijay Chowk and managed to reach the Rail Bhawan roundabout. They began circling the roundabout in a bid to dodge the police. However, the PCR van finally managed to corner them on Raisina Road. Though the assailants whipped out knives, they were overpowered by the police.

Two bloodstained knives and a mobile phone were recovered from the accused, who have been identified as Raju and Munna, both residents of Madanpur Khadar in South Delhi.

During interrogation, the accused admitted to stabbing Shailender which led to his death. They also told the police that they were drug addicts and used to commit such thefts to get money for their daily dose. They even confessed to having used knife on many occasions but were never caught. Raju was, however, arrested in another case by the Uttar Pradesh police and had come out of Muradabad jail only a month ago. Their antecedents are being further verified.

In appreciation of the exemplary courage displayed by Varun, the Delhi police announced a reward of Rs. 2,000 for him. The PCR team has also been rewarded.

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