Manipuri youth murder: 4th accused sent to 1-day police custody

New Delhi, Jul 23: A Delhi court on Wednesday remanded the fourth accused arrested in connection with the murder of a 29-year-old youth from Manipur in one-day police custody.

While orally observing that "it appears to be an incident of road rage," Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar sent Azad Chaudhary to police custody till July 24 and allowed the police officials to interrogate him.

"I have gone through the application seeking grant of one day police custody of the arrested accused along with relevant records. Application is allowed and the accused be produced before the court on July 24," the magistrate said.

While seeking his custody, the police said Chaudhary's custodial interrogation was required to nab another co-accused Lokesh, who was still at large.

Chaudhary (24), a driver by profession and a resident of Garhi Village, was arrested yesterday for his alleged involvement in the crime. Yesterday, the court had remanded three other arrested accused-- Shakti Basoya (21), his cousin Sanjay Basoya (24) and Rajiv (25) -- in police custody till July 24.

The police had told the court that the accused, who have been arrested in connection with the case after analysis of CCTV footage, have revealed the involvement of one other accused in the crime.

The investigators had told the court that a piece of cloth which was used in the crime was yet to be recovered. Police had also said that the assault was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the South Delhi's Kotla Mubarakpur area which showed one of the men wrapping a cloth around victim Akha Salouni's neck and swinging him around in the air.

It had said that the youths then pinned down the victim on the floor and showered blows and kicks on him.

PTI