Roorkee 'blind murder solved' in 5 days: Stranger befriended farmer over liquor, killed him for cash, say cops

ROORKEE: Police arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly killing a farmer within three hours of meeting him over drinks and robbing him of cash in Manglaur, solving what officers described as a 'blind murder case'. Police found the body on Feb 17 from an orchard near the Gangnahar canal in Manglaur. Officers said Vinayak Tyagi, 26, struck 43-year-old Pradeep Kumar Chaudhary on the head with a stone after noticing he was carrying cash. Police also seized Rs 20,000 in cash and blood-stained clothes from Tyagi’s possession.According to police, Pradeep, a farmer from Ghosipura village near Manglaur, was returning home from Roorkee on his motorcycle when he stopped near the Roorkee Roadways bus stand to buy liquor. The country-made liquor shop there was closed, and he met Vinayak, who was also looking to purchase alcohol. The two then went to another liquor shop in Roorkee.Investigators said Vinayak noticed that Pradeep was carrying a substantial amount of cash when he paid for the liquor. Outside the shop, he allegedly ensured that Pradeep consumed more alcohol while he drank less. Under the pretext of arranging more liquor, Vinayak offered to ride Pradeep’s motorcycle and drove towards Manglaur along the Gangnahar road. He stopped at an orchard near the canal, where they continued drinking. When Pradeep became heavily intoxicated, Vinayak allegedly picked up a stone and struck him repeatedly on the head, killing him on the spot before fleeing with the cash and leaving the motorcycle behind.Police said Vinayak, a native of Barla in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, was living in rented accommodation in Jwalapur, Haridwar. He earlier worked as a gym trainer but had fallen into substance abuse and was recently working as a taxi driver. “This was a blind murder case with no prior connection between the accused and the victim. CCTV footage from multiple locations provided crucial leads and showed them travelling together on a motorcycle. Manglaur police worked systematically to crack the case,” said SSP Navneet Singh.