New Delhi : Behind the kidnapping and murder of a Delhi college student found dead on Wednesday is a story of a relationship gone sour, the police have revealed after arresting a 25-year-old designer. Ayush Nautiyal, 21, went missing last Thursday, after he left his home in Dwarka in northwest Delhi for college. Hours later, his family received several WhatsApp texts from his phone, showing him bound and gagged, and making a ransom demand for Rs 50 lakh.
The family drove around Dwarka for two days with money, looking for Ayush and his kidnappers. On Wednesday evening, they found his body in a bag, floating in a drain.
After investigating Ayush’s mobile phone records and security footage, the police zeroed in on Ishtiaq Ali, a designer who had met the student through a dating app.
The police said Ayush was a regular user of dating apps.
Ishtiaq Ali, who stays in Uttam Nagar and works for an export house, reportedly told the police he killed Ayush with a hammer after a fight, in a fit of rage. After the murder, he allegedly made ransom demands to mislead Ayush’s family and buy time to dispose of the body.
After the first few messages on the day of the kidnapping, Ishtiaq allegedly sent another message on March 26, Monday, demanding that the ransom money be delivered near Uttam Nagar, around four km from Dwarka.
Some 30 police teams in plainclothes hid in the area, but the kidnappers didn’t show up to collect the money. After that, the family received several such instructions to leave the money, but no one came.
When Ayush’s phone and the vehicle used to dispose of his body were found, the police made quick progress on the case.
Ayush, a final year student of commerce at the Ram Lal Anand college, was the only son of his parents. His family has accused the police of not doing enough to track the kidnappers down.
Source: NDTV
