A couple has been arrested in connection with the death of a 35-year-old man who fell from the roof of their three-storey house in Choura Raghunathpur village in Sector 24 on May 4. Investigation revealed that the couple assaulted the victim with a hockey stick moments before he fell.
According to police, Puneet Chauhan of Meerut and his companion Vidya Das, 22, of Rasoolpur Nawada village came to the house to meet its owners, Hitesh and Chanchal Rana. Chauhan died on the spot after he allegedly fell from the terrace, while Das sustained serious injuries. Police initially suspected that Chauhan and Das accessed the building from a neighboring house and jumped in a suicide attempt.
Hitesh Rana initially denied knowing either of them, but call records showed he and Chauhan spoke shortly before the incident. On interrogation, Rana disclosed that he, his wife, and Chauhan were college acquaintances. After years without contact, Chauhan recently reconnected with Chanchal over the phone and met her on a few occasions. Angered by this, Rana said Chauhan came to their home that day specifically to apologize. During this meeting, Hitesh attacked both Chauhan and Das with a hockey stick. Chanchal was also present at the spot, police said.
During the altercation, Chauhan and Das fell from the third floor. A case under BNS Sections 105 (culpable homicide), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 351 (culpable homicide) was registered against the Ranas.
