January 20, 2025: Fact Recorder
“On the night of the wedding, Anil reached the venue in his car, but somehow the vehicle caught fire… police has learnt during the primary investigation,” the officer said.
Anil (24), a cab driver from Noida, was outside a banquet hall in a car in East Delhi’s Gazipur to attend a relative’s wedding on Saturday night when the vehicle caught fire. Within minutes, he was charred to death and could not be rescued. Even as the police have launched a probe, his family has alleged that he was murdered because he was in love with the bride and her father did not approve of their relationship because they were related.
Abhishek Dhania, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Delhi), on Sunday said that the Gazipur police station got three consecutive calls around 11 pm that a Wagon R had erupted into flames at the entrance of the banquet hall. “Some bystanders broke the car’s windows and pulled him out… Anil’s body was charred beyond recognition,” Dhania said.
He added that the Crime and Forensic Science Lab teams were called to investigate the scene and gather evidence. The victim was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital where the doctor declared him “brought dead”. “A case has been registered under section 194 of the BNSS and police are thoroughly investigating all angles of the incident,” the DCP said. Another police officer privy to the investigation said that the deceased was in a relationship with the woman who got married on Saturday but the woman’s father had objected to their marriage as they were related. The woman’s father then found another suitor for his daughter.
“The victim had not got over the relationship. On the night of the wedding, Anil reached the venue in his car, but somehow the vehicle caught fire… police has learnt during the primary investigation,” the officer said.
“Due to the wedding, the woman and the relatives have not been questioned so far. The FSL reports are also pending and the exact reason for the fire is yet to be determined,” added the officer.
Officials said two PCR calls were made by the brothers of the deceased, alleging conspiracy to kill Anil while three other calls were made to the police by the woman’s father, accusing his relatives of violence. No formal complaints were filed by either side till Sunday evening.
