Sanjay Sonariya had sought police protection

A day after the triple murder took place in Central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, it came to light that the property dealer who was murdered along with his wife and son had asked Delhi Police for protection in April 2014 after he was attacked in July 2012. Since 2014, he was afraid that he and his family members would be eliminated but after he approached the police for protection, they allegedly neglected the request.

The victims, Sanjay Sonariya and his wife Jyoti were involved in property disputes with many people who had attacked them in the past. On Sunday morning, all the three members of the Sonariya family — Sanjay, Jyoti and Pawan were found strangled at their third floor residence in Old Rajinder Nagar.

After 24 hours of the investigation, police have failed to identify the culprits. “So far they have questioned more than twenty persons in connection with the triple murder, but to no avail. Call details of all the three deceased persons are being scrutinised to get some clue about the culprits,” a source close to investigation said.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the senior officials close to investigation, to verify about the request made by the deceased in 2014, the officers refused to comment. Neither did they confirm nor did they deny these reports. The letter written by Sanjay seeking police protection is in possession with Millennium Post.

In the report, names of the land mafias have been mentioned from whom the Sonariya family was receiving threats.

On Monday, the bodies were handed over to the family members to perform the last rites after the post-mortem was conducted. The autopsy report is, however, awaited. Meanwhile, police is also waiting for the reports from the FSL.

As per the letter addressed to the Additional Commissioner of Police filed through the Delhi Dhobi Ekta Committee, an organisation supporting the property dealer and his family, on April 26 2014, the complainant, Ram Lal Azad, General Secretary of the organisation had stated that the attacks on Sanjay Sonariya and his wife were conspired and executed by the land mafias. 

In a reply to this, the concerned Additional DCP of Central District had rebuked the attacks on the Sonariyas in light of the complaint which the police got through the National Commission for Scheduled Caste which was submitted through the Joint CP of Central Range.