Gurugram gardener was strangled and bludgeoned, finds post-mortem exam

A day after a gardener was found murdered in an alley outside his room in the slums behind the DLF Phase-1 marble market, an autopsy on Thursday suggested the deceased, Gabbar Singh, 33, was allegedly strangled before being bludgeoned to death, the police said.

A native of Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh, Singh was found dead on Wednesday around 7am. The police had recovered liquor bottles, beedi (traditionally rolled tobacco), plastic glasses and leftover food, suggesting he was drinking alcohol and had company before being killed.

Forensic expert Deepak Mathur, who conducted the autopsy, said that though the cause of death was a head injury, the pattern of injuries suggested the victim was also strangled with a cloth. “The skull was completely crushed due to multiple blows to the head with a heavy object, possibly a slab,” Mathur said.

Meanwhile, the police said they had questioned at least six persons, but were yet to zero in on a suspect. “One of the suspects, a milkman, was detained for questioning but released later after no evidence of his involvement came forth,” a senior police official privy to the investigation said, requesting anonymity.

DLF Phase 1 station house officer (SHO) Ved Prakash said, “No suspects have been identified so far. The reason for the alleged murder or the number of suspects is not known.”

The body of the victim was handed over to his family after the post-mortem examination on Thursday.