Thrashed on Gurugram road, NRI dies of heart failure

GURUGRAM: A 50-year-old

NRI

businessman had a cardiac arrest and died after he was roughed up by a bungalow’s private

guard

and its owner in the middle of a road in Gurugram’s DLF 2 township on Wednesday afternoon.

The bungalow owner, identified by police as Manik Khosla (25), and guard Pradeep Singh (46) were arrested on Thursday following an examination of CCTV footage that showed them assaulting the businessman, investigators said. A case was filed at DLF 2 police station under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intent) of the IPC.

Somou Balaya, who owned an IT company at San Antonio in Texas and had moved to the US 25 years ago, was allegedly slapped and punched during an argument that started with the guard over directions Balaya had asked for when he was taking a walk in the township’s P block, police said. The bungalow’s owner also got involved later and the two beat up the 50-year-old together. Balaya collapsed on the road and was rushed to Uma Sanjeevani hospital, also in DLF 2, by other residents. A doctor at the hospital said he had passed away by the time he was taken there.

Balaya, his wife and son were in India since June 18, and were staying in their own bungalow in DLF 1.

They were to leave for the US on Saturday, his nephew Abhishek Singhal told TOI.

Based on information gathered from CCTV footage and local residents around P3 (the street in the DLF 2 block where he was walking), police said Balaya was attacked around 4.50pm. He was taken to hospital around 5.15pm. Balaya, police said, had gone to DLF 2 to drop his 15-year-old son off for swimming classes. He decided to hang around in the neighbourhood till his son finished and take a stroll. While on P3, he came across Pradeep Singh, seated at his post outside a bungalow’s gate.

Balaya asked for directions, believed the guard had misguided him and confronted him, police said. This led to a heated exchange. Hearing the commotion outside the house, Khosla too came out and closed ranks with the guard. “He was spotted in an unconscious condition by local people, who took him to the DLF 2 hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” said Gurugram police spokesperson Subhash Bokan, adding the hospital had informed police.

Balaya was identified from his card and other identity documents found in his wallet. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Sonu Mishra, who stays on rent on the ground floor of Balaya’s house. Mishra said he had no idea about the incident, and wasn’t aware why police had mentioned his name as the complainant.

Bokan said police had received a day’s remand from court for Khosla and Singh.

Dr Deepak Mathur, who conducted the autopsy, said no external injuries were found and cardiac arrest was the cause of death. “Samples have been sent to the forensic laboratory for further investigation,” he said.

The doctor on duty at the private hospital said Balaya was brought dead and there were no injury marks on his body. He said it was possible to have a cardiac arrest after a blunt injury, which does not leave any external mark.