54-yr-old killed during robbery bid in Seelampur, couple held

New Delhi: A 54-year-old horse-buggy driver was allegedly murdered during an attempted robbery in northeast Delhi's Seelampur on Thursday. Police have arrested a couple in connection with the crime. The victim, Banarsi Das, a resident of Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh, had come to Delhi for work and was on his way to a wedding assignment when the incident occurred. Police received information around 3pm about an unconscious man brought to Jag Pravesh Chandra (JPC) hospital by locals. Doctors declared him dead on arrival. Das's eldest son, Mukesh, told TOI: "My father had gone for horseshoeing and was supposed to go straight to the wedding from there. While he was paying, they noticed the cash in his hand and tried to steal it." Mukesh said he was at his shop when his brother informed him that their father had died. An inquiry revealed that Das was allegedly restrained and assaulted when the accused attempted to snatch money from him. Police said he lost consciousness during the scuffle. The couple, both in their 40s and ragpickers, were traced through technical surveillance and local intelligence and arrested the same day. A police officer said the suspects attacked Das on the neck during the altercation, causing him to collapse. According to investigators, Das travelled to Delhi whenever work demanded. Despite having lost a leg in a horse-related accident years ago, he continued working with a prosthetic limb to support his family. One of his sons had also lost a leg in a train accident. Das is survived by three sons. Two of them, aged 32 and 27, live in north-east Delhi and earn a living stitching and embroidering clothes, while his youngest son, 24, lives with their parents in the village. Das's daughter-in-law said, "He was a person with disability. We don't know what he could have done to instigate anyone." Her voice broke as she mentioned that Das's 22-year-old daughter had recently got married.Police have registered a case of murder and robbery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).