Missing youth found murdered in forest land, hands chopped off

Gurgaon: A 24-year-old man, who had gone missing on Oct 4 was found murdered in a forest area at Khedla village near Sohna. Police said Atul Raghav had criminal cases registered against him.
Around 9.30am on Sunday, locals found the body in the forest abutting the village and alerted cops.
"Both hands of Raghav were severed at the shoulders. We suspect that the hands were chopped off when he was alive.We also found a bottle containing an unknown chemical near the body. We have to examine if he was made to consume it before he was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon. The cause of death could be ascertained only after the postmortem examination," said a police officer from Sohna.
A forensic team visited the spot and collected evidence. The body was shifted for autopsy. During the preliminary probe, police found out that the victim was accused in four cases. A case was registered against Atul at Sadar Sohna police station in 2022 under IPC section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons). In 2020, 2021, and 2022, three cases were registered against him at Sadar Sohna and Sohna City police stations under IPC section 379 (theft).
"One of the suspects is a victim in an assault case. His role is being probed. Looking at the gruesome nature of the crime, we are also looking into the victim's personal relationships to check if anyone bore a grudge against him," said a senior police officer.
After Atul left home on Oct 4 morning, his father Lokesh, a private security guard, received a call from an unknown number asking about his whereabouts. The caller disconnected when Lokesh asked him who he was. As Atul's number was switched off and he did not return home till late in the evening, Lokesh lodged a complaint with the police on the same evening.
Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said on Octr 4, a case was registered under BNS sections 140 (3) (Kidnapping) and 3 (5) (common intention). After the body was found on Sunday, section 103 (1) (murder) was added to the case.
"The body has been handed over to the family after autopsy. Police are working on the leads to identify and arrest the accused," the police spokesperson said.