Kidnapped 21-Year-Old DU Student Found Murdered, Suspect Arrested

A 21-year-old student of Delhi University, kidnapped for a ransom on 22 March, was found murdered close to a drain in the capital’s Dwarka locality on Wednesday, 28 March, the police told the media.

The student, identified as Ayush Nautiyal studying at Ram Lal Anand College, was purportedly kidnapped near his house in Dwarka last Thursday, six days before he was found dead.

Later, on that same day, the victim's father received a picture from his number via WhatsApp, showing Ayush tied up and gagged as well as having a head injury, reported NDTV.

The accused, identified as Ishtiaq Ali, 25, a resident of Uttam Nagar in west Delhi, was arrested after long investigation, police said.

Ishtiaq Ali works as a sampling manager for various export houses and is an ex-student of a fashion institute. He confessed to killing Ayush Nautiyal, a South Campus student. Nautiyal’s body was recovered from a drain in Dwarka Sector 13. Ali was arrested with the help of technical surveillance and CCTV footage collected from various locations.

Ajay Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Police to IANS

“Ali told police he disposed off the body the next day with the help of a friend. The vehicle used to dispose off the body has also been recovered. A manhunt is on to nab his friend,” he added.

A ransom of Rs 50 lakh was demanded from the family, who approached the police.

Media reports further pointed out though that the family had arranged for Rs 10 lakh to be given to the kidnappers, they were unable to locate them. The family further alleged the police of having a "careless attitude" in the whole case.

Ayush was a single child and was pursuing a BCom from Ram Lal Anand College.

The incident comes after a 5-year-old boy was kidnapped in broad daylight by two armed men on a bike in Ghaziabad just a day before Republic Day. The Delhi Police, however, rescued the child on 6 February.

(With inputs from NDTV, IANS)