It wasn’t an overnight decision by delivery boy Sonu Kashyap, 21, to eliminate coconut water vendor, Manoj Kumar, 22. His vengeance had been brewing every day over the last 10 years whenever he saw his mother’s mental condition at home.
The anger stemmed from an assault on his mother in 2015 by the deceased’s family, when the accused was only 11 years old.
“In 2015, Sonu’s mother was hit with a ‘kada’ (bangle) by one of the male members of Manoj’s family during a neighbourhood fight in Kalyanpur area of Indira Nagar, where both families lived together on rent. The alleged fight led to critical injuries on the head of Sonu’s mother, after which her mental condition started deteriorating and it remains the same till date,” said Anindya Vikram Singh, ACP (Ghazipur).
The grudge over the incident led to the brutal killing of Manoj Kumar on May 22. He was assaulted with iron rods and sticks near Manmeet Dairy in Kalyanpur area of Indira Nagar. Sonu Kashyap and his four friends allegedly involved in the murder were arrested on Monday, said police.
“During interrogation, Sonu told us that he was 11 years old at that time and could not do anything as the deceased’s family members outnumbered his kin and he had no choice but to watch his mother being beaten and insulted,” the ACP informed.
“His mother’s agony (mental condition) kept his vengeance alive,” he added.
According to investigating officers, Sonu was on a lookout for someone from Manoj’s family to avenge his mother’s trauma.
“One day, he saw Manoj selling coconut water on a cart near Munshipulia crossing and recognised him,” said the ACP.
According to police, when Sonu spotted Manoj in April, he started planning to teach him a lesson. “He made multiple recces of the place where Manoj stationed his cart and identified the time when he would come and leave the spot,” the officer added.
According to the ACP, the accused decided to take revenge on May 22 night. “His intention was not to kill Manoj but only to assault him. He convinced his four friends to join the plan. They assaulted Manoj. The accused kept hitting Manoj, leaving him dead,” said the ACP.
“Sonu Kashyap and his accused friends – Sunny Kashyap, 20, Salman, 30, Ranjit Kumar, 21, and Rehmat Ali, 25, all residents of Kalyanpur, were arrested and are lodged in jail,” said DCP (east) Shashank Singh.