Engineer slits fellow inmate’s throat at de-addiction centre in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 27-year-old chemical engineer on Friday allegedly killed a fellow inmate by slitting his throat after an altercation over abuse at a drug de-addiction centre in Alipur, Outer Delhi. He was arrested.

Police said they got information around 4 am about a stabbing in a colony in Hiranki village.

A team from the local police station went to the spot — the de-addiction centre — and found blood in several places on the premises. The man who had been assaulted had been taken to Burari Hospital before the police reached. Doctors declared him brought dead there. The deceased was later identified as Arun Kumar (22) of Burari.

According to his family, Kumar came from an economically weak background, and his father works as a rickshaw driver. They said he had been an addict during his teenage years, following which he was admitted to the rehabilitation centre.

A case under section 103 (murder) of BNS was registered. Deputy commissioner of police (Outer North) Hareshwar Swami said the suspect was found at the centre and was apprehended. He was identified as Arun Joshi, and the knife believed to have been used in the crime was found on him.

“During interrogation, the accused disclosed that a quarrel had happened between the two a few days ago. During the altercation, Kumar allegedly abused him. To take revenge, the accused committed the act,” the DCP said.

Another police officer said the incident occurred around 3.30 am when Kumar was asleep. Joshi allegedly attacked him with a knife and slit his throat. There were around 27 patients at the centre then, and guards were also there.

Joshi, a resident of Tri Nagar, completed his schooling and graduation in Rohini and obtained a degree in chemical engineering in 2019 from a college in the area. Police said his father runs a rented medical shop near their residence.

“During inquiry, it was revealed that Joshi had developed a habit of consuming cannabis during his college years around 2015. He was admitted to the private de-addiction Centre in Hiranki about nine months ago for treatment and rehabilitation,” Swami added.

Police have found CCTV footage from the premises, reportedly showing Joshi at the scene during the incident. A senior officer said investigators are examining the de-addiction centre’s records and probing potential negligence on their part.

In Dec last year, police arrested the owner of an illegal de-addiction centre in southwest Delhi’s Dichaon Kalan following the death of a man admitted there.
In Dec 2024, cops busted a de-addiction centre that was allegedly fuelling inmates’ addictions by supplying high-dose drugs in Outer Delhi’s Nangloi.
The private facility also reportedly functioned as a hub for drug traffickers, who sourced, packaged and sold narcotics to both the youth at the center and others in the surrounding area.