Noida: A 19-year-old was arrested on Sunday for allegedly murdering a 23-year-old man whose partially burnt body was found near a canal in Greater Noida last week. During the arrest, police seized a blood-stained wooden stick used in the murder, three stolen gold bangles and the motorcycle used in the crime.On June 12, Huzaifa’s body was found near a canal in Chhirsi village. Police created three special teams to investigate the case. DCP (Greater Noida) Pravin Ranjan Singh said the investigation relied on electronic evidence, physical clues and CCTV footage, which ultimately led police to Shahzad alias Bittu, a resident of Daula Rajpur village.According to police, Shahzad confessed to the crime during interrogation. The two were close friends and had both become addicted to inhalant-based drugs. Shahzad had recently asked his family for money to buy a mobile phone and support his air-conditioner repair business, but the family had refused due to his addiction.Around the same time, Huzaifa had allegedly stolen some gold bangles from his mother, which he’d told Shahzad and some other friends about, trying to sell them off. On June 12, Shahzad allegedly lured Huzaifa with the promise of helping him sell the bangles. The two consumed drugs and Shahzad brought him to a secluded spot near the canal in Chandrawal village.Once there, Shahzad allegedly attacked Huzaifa with a wooden stick, striking him on the head and repeatedly thrashing him till he died. After fleeing with the bangles, Shahzad became paranoid that Huzaifa was not dead and later returned with some petrol and set the body on fire to destroy evidence before fleeing again.An FIR has been registered against the accused under BNS Section 103(1) (murder), and further legal proceedings are underway.
