Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) A cab driver has been arrested for strangling a 22-year-old woman and smashing her face with a stone to hide her identity as she had spurned his advances, police said Friday.

“Lal Bahadur, 26, a resident of Kirti Nagar (in west Delhi), was arrested from Najafgarh on Thursday after a 36-hour-long operation,” Deputy Commissioner of Police A.K. Ojha said.

Bahadur killed the girl as she had turned down his advances May 6.

“After strangling her, Bahadur smashed her face with a stone to hide her identity,” said Ojha.

Police found the girl’s body May 7 in Dwarka area of west Delhi.

“Two thousand hue and cry notices, with the photograph of the girl, were pasted at public places across the city. We also made a list of missing girls of the same age in the city and in Haryana and then sent teams to verify them,” said Ojha.

Police said the victim was last seen taking a green coloured taxi May 6.

“We found that only Meru Taxi service uses green coloured cabs. On checking the records and GPS (global positioning system) of the cabs, we zeroed in on Lal Bahadur,” said Ojha.

During interrogation, Bahadur told the police that he was in love with the girl but she rejected his advances.

“He called her on May 6 and took her in his taxi to Mohan Garden for dinner. Both consumed liquor in the taxi. When he expressed his love for her, she again spurned him. Enraged by her behaviour, he strangled her with her dupatta and then damaged her face and dumped the body,” said Ojha.