Delhi Police on Monday arrested another person on charges of killing Congolese national Masonda Ketada Olivier following a quarrel over hiring an auto-rickshaw. Out of the three accused, the first was arrested on Saturday, a few hours after the murder, whereas the third is still absconding.
According to the police, the recently arrested accused has been identified as Prakash, who is a driver. He was arrested in the morning from National Capital Region (NCR), said a police officer.
Another accused, Mobin Azad Saifi was arrested on Saturday, few hours after the murder, the officer said.
Later in the investigation, it was found that Saifi was also the accused in a molestation case in Vasant Kunj last December. However, Prakash does not have any criminal record. The last accused Mukesh, who was earlier involved in a cheating case, is still on the run, the officer added. The three accused reside in South Delhi’s Mehrauli and Chhatarpur areas.
The incident took place late Friday night when Olivier was beaten to death in South Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area. Senior police officers of the South district alleged that Olivier was waiting for an auto-rickshaw to go to his rented accommodation in South Extension when the three accused — Saifi, Mukesh and Prakash — insisted on travelling in the same auto-rickshaw which was being hired by Olivier. The ensuing argument then turned violent leading to the fatal attack on the victim.
Eyewitnesses further told police that the argument between Olivier and the three accused escalated into a scuffle where in the trio chased Olivier for 20-25 metre and hit Olivier’s head repeatedly with stones. When the locals tried to get hold of the accused, they fled the spot, said police.
In the meantime, one of the locals made a PCR call. Bleeding profusely, Olivier was rushed by the police to AIIMS Trauma Center where he was declared brought dead.