New Delhi: Police Recover Body of Abducted Lawyer, Arrest Second Accused

Days after the abduction and murder of the son of an assistant commissioner of police, the police have recovered the body of the victim from a canal near Samalkha in Haryana. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (outer north), Ravi Kumar Singh, announced that a second accused has been arrested in connection with the case, and the victim’s car has also been recovered.

An officer involved in the operation stated, “We have been conducting an extensive search for Lakshay Chauhan’s body over the past several days. Approximately 150 personnel from the police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), canal staff, and divers were involved in the operation.”

The second accused has been identified as Vikas Bharadwaj, a clerk at Tis Hazari courts. The victim, Lakshay Chauhan, was a 26-year-old lawyer practicing at Tis Hazari courts. His father holds the position of Assistant Commissioner of Police (operations). The police had previously arrested a 19-year-old named Abhishek in connection with the case.

According to a police source, on the evening of January 22nd, Chauhan, Bharadwaj, and Abhishek had attended a wedding in Bhiwani, Haryana, in Chauhan’s car. Later, Chauhan went missing, and his family discovered that his phone was switched off.

At around 11:20 pm on January 23rd, Chauhan’s father filed a ‘missing person’ report at Samaypur Badli police station, and a case was registered. Subsequently, the police apprehended Abhishek. The investigation revealed that Bharadwaj had contacted Abhishek on January 22nd and asked him to accompany him and Chauhan to a wedding in Sonipat. The police stated, “Bharadwaj also claimed that Chauhan owed him money and refused to repay it.” It is alleged that the duo planned to eliminate Chauhan.

During their return from the function, the three men stopped the car in Panipat to relieve themselves. While Chauhan was standing near the canal, Abhishek and Bharadwaj pushed him and fled in the car, according to the police.