The bullet-ridden bodies of a young cab driver and his friend who worked at a fast food joint were found dumped along the divider of the Nangloi-Najafgarh Road in outer Delhi’s Ranhola on Sunday night, police said.

The spot where the bodies were found was strewn with glass shards, prompting the police to initially probe the possibility of road rage behind the double murder.

However, the family of one of the dead men suspect a neighbour of carrying out the murders to avenge for quarrels over parking, making police probe the crime from the view of “personal enmity”.

Seju P Kuruvilla, deputy commissioner of police (outer district), said the investigators were still searching for the killers or the motive behind the murders even as several suspects have been picked up for questioning.

The officer identified the dead men as Deepak Singwal and his friend, Neeraj – both 21-years-old. They lived in Baprola village and Jai Vihar — both places barely a kilometre from where their bodies were found.

Singwal worked as a driver with an app-based cab platform while Neeraj was unemployed after working at a popular fast food joint.

Around 9pm, the two bodies were found at the end of the road divider which is about a kilometre from the Air Force Station in Bani Camp and the house of international wrestler, Sushil Kumar. The place is dotted with shops and small businesses.

“Singwal had one bullet in his body while Neeraj was shot four times,” said the DCP. Large patches of blood and shards of glasses, likely from a vehicle, were found at the spot. The local shopkeepers, however, claimed that they had downed their shutters by the time the bodies were found.

The bodies were found dumped along the divider of the Nangloi-Najafgarh Road in outer Delhi’s Ranhola on Sunday night. (HT Photo )

Singwal’s sister suspected the role of a neighbour with whom he was allegedly involved in repeated confrontations over car parking.

“My brother had recently bought a car to ply as a cab. But the neighbour had been fighting with my brother over parking space. The neighbour had assaulted and threatened my brother with murder just about a week ago,” said Sarita, the sister.

On Monday, the neighbour’s house was found locked. The DCP said the neighbour was among several suspects picked up for questioning.

The two friends had left their homes around 7pm, telling their relatives that they would be back for dinner. “It is likely that the two men were killed in a car elsewhere and then dumped at the spot,” said the DCP.

“It is also possible that the men were killed at the same spot after a confrontation. Prima facie, it doesn’t seem to be the result of road rage,” the DCP said about the presence of glass shards at the spot.

The police are also probing “conflicting statements” about the dead men being accompanied by a third friend and about the mode of transport they had chosen while venturing out of their homes.

First Published: Jan 08, 2019 11:19 IST