India, July 8 -- A 22-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly hacking a fellow villager to death with a sickle and mutilating the body in Modinagar, a day after he allegedly attacked another youth with a screwdriver. Police claimed the accused was harbouring a grudge after being repeatedly mocked as "Baba", "Siddhidata" and "Nashedi" by the victims. The accused, identified as Niranchal alias Mantri, was arrested after Tarun's body was found in a sugarcane field in Puthri village under Niwari police station limits. Police recovered the victim's mobile phone and the sickle allegedly used in the murder from his possession. Also Read - Balcony of luxury society flat collapses in Gurugram; residents demand 'structural audit' According to investigators, Niranchal attacked Tarun on the Niwari-Puthri road late on Sunday before dragging the body into a nearby sugarcane field. The victim sustained multiple injuries, including deep wounds to the neck and abdomen. Police said the accused fled with Tarun's mobile phone, returned home, washed off the bloodstains and went to sleep. During interrogation, Niranchal allegedly told police that Tarun and his friends had frequently taunted him by calling him "Baba", "Siddhidata" and "Nashedi", while also mocking his religious beliefs. Police said the repeated insults had left him deeply resentful. Also Read - Delhi building collapse: Death toll climbs to three, FIR registered Investigators said the accused had been roaming around the village armed with a sickle and a screwdriver since Sunday morning in search of the group. Earlier that afternoon, he allegedly attacked another youth, Prince, near a Shiva temple, inflicting multiple injuries with a screwdriver. Although Prince lodged an FIR, his family alleged the accused remained at large, enabling him to target Tarun later the same evening. Following a complaint by Tarun's father, police registered a murder case and arrested Niranchal. Rural DCP Surendra Nath Tiwari said the investigation indicated that the murder was driven by personal enmity arising from repeated taunts. Further investigation is underway.
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