Daijiworld Media Network - Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad, Jan 18: In a shocking incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, three men allegedly murdered their close friend and set his body on fire after fearing he might “sacrifice” one of them to become wealthy, following advice given by an occultist.

Police said the victim, 35-year-old auto rickshaw driver Naveen, also known as Nandu, frequently visited an occultist in Delhi. On Tuesday, he reportedly took three of his friends — Pawan, Sagar and Naseem, all auto rickshaw drivers — along with him for a session. During the meeting, the friends allegedly overheard the occultist telling Nandu that he could become rich quickly if he sacrificed someone close to him. When Nandu asked whether a friend could be sacrificed, the occultist reportedly agreed.

Later that evening, the four friends were drinking at Sagar’s house when an argument broke out over the occultist’s claims. Suspecting that Nandu might act on the advice, the three friends allegedly attacked him with a gas cylinder, striking his head and back, killing him on the spot.

The accused then wrapped the body in a blanket, placed it inside Nandu’s auto rickshaw and drove to a deserted area under the Tronica police station limits in Ghaziabad. There, they poured fuel on the vehicle and the body before setting them ablaze.
The charred body was discovered on Wednesday, following which a first information report was registered.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Siddhartha Gautam said multiple teams were formed to probe the case. “Based on technical surveillance and human intelligence inputs, it was found that Nandu had been drinking with the three friends on the night of the murder.

All three fled after the incident. Sagar and Pawan have been arrested, and efforts are on to take Naseem into custody soon,” he said.