Haryana man applies Holi colour to friend's lover, tied to railway track, killed

A 23-year-old man was brutally murdered after allegedly applying Holi colour to his friend’s lover, with the accused later placing him on a railway track to make his death appear like an accident, police said.

The incident took place in Panipat, where the victim, Kalu, had gone missing on the day of Holi. His body was later found on a railway track, and the death was initially believed to be a railway accident. However, the Government Railway Police (GRP) investigation later revealed that it was a premeditated and gruesome murder.

Police have arrested three men from the victim’s own village, Mahmoodpur, identified as Sanju, Rahul and Vishal. According to investigators, the accused carried out the killing to take revenge over a Holi dispute and an earlier personal grievance. During interrogation, the three confessed to the crime, with police identifying Sanju as the mastermind behind the conspiracy.

According to the police, the main trigger for the murder was a dispute during Holi when Kalu allegedly applied colour to Sanju’s female friend. The incident reportedly enraged Sanju, who decided to eliminate him.

Investigators also said there was an older dispute between the two. Sanju told police that Kalu had once borrowed his motorcycle and later met with an accident that badly damaged the vehicle, but never compensated him for the loss.

Panipat GRP station in-charge Dharampal said the accused carefully planned the murder. On the evening of the incident, Sanju called Kalu out of his house and the three accused held a drinking session with him. Police said the accused drank very little alcohol themselves but forced Kalu to consume excessive amounts so that he would lose control of himself.

Once Kalu became heavily intoxicated, the accused allegedly took him on a motorcycle to a railway track. There, Sanju attacked him twice on the neck with a screwdriver. However, despite the attack, Kalu did not die.

Police said the accused then carried out a chilling act. When the screwdriver attack failed to kill him, they held Kalu’s hands and legs and laid him alive in the middle of the railway track. Because of the alcohol and injuries, Kalu was not in a condition to resist.

Soon after the accused left the spot, a speeding train ran over him, leaving his body severely mutilated.

The case was cracked after police examined technical evidence and mobile phone location data. Cops found that Sanju and his associates were present near the crime scene around the time of the incident. During sustained questioning, the three accused eventually confessed to the entire sequence of events.

All three accused have been arrested and further investigation in the case is ongoing.

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With inputs from Pradeep Redhu.