Lucknow man orders iPhone with COD option, kills delivery agent, throws body in canal

A Flipkart delivery agent was allegedly murdered while delivering an iPhone in Lucknow's Chinhat station area, police said on Tuesday. The victim, Bharat Kumar, was allegedly killed by a customer who had ordered the phone using the cash-on-delivery (COD) option, officials said. 

Police have arrested one suspect in connection with the crime, while efforts are ongoing to recover the delivery agent's body, which was reportedly stuffed in a gunny sack and dumped in a canal in Indira Nagar. 

DCP East Shashank Singh said on Tuesday that the deceased was identified as 30-year-old Bharat Kumar. He was the son of Ram Milan, a resident of Mahanagar, under Nishatganj police station area. 

The DCP said the accused, identified as Gajanan from Chinhat, ordered the iPhone worth ₹1.5 lakh with the COD payment option. Bharat Kumar went to deliver the phone on September 23 but was allegedly strangled by Gajana and his friend, Akash.

“When Bharat Kumar did not return home, his brother lodged an FIR at Chinhat police station regarding his disappearance. After taking cognisance of the incident, the CCTV footage and surveillance data were investigated," police were quoted by news agency ANI. 

“After getting the evidence, the police detained a person named Akash in connection with the incident,” the DCP said.

After the murder, they reportedly stuffed the delivery agent's body in a sack and threw it in the river. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been engaged to assist in the search to recover the body.

"Bharat Kumar's family has also been informed about the incident," police were quoted by ANI as saying. The police are currently investigating the case.

What happened exactly?

Bharat Kumar had been working as a delivery agent for the past eight years. His brother, Prem Kumar, claimed that Bharat left home on September 23 at 10:00 am to pick up goods for delivery. 

“On September 23, delivery boy, Bharat Sahu of Nishatganj, went to deliver the phone at his place where he was killed by Gajanan and his accomplice. After strangulating Sahu, they put his body in a sack and disposed of it in the Indira Canal,” police told PTI.

When Sahu did not return home for two days, his family registered a missing person complaint on September 25 at the Chinhat police station.

While scanning Sahu's call details and trying to trace his location, police found Gajanan's number and managed to reach his friend Akash.

During interrogation, Akash confessed to the crime, the DCP said. The arrested accused confessed that he and his friend Gajanan had murdered delivery boy Bharat Kumar and then dumped his body in the canal, ANI reported.

Bharat's brother Prem Kumar has sought justice for his death and demanded that strict punishment should be meted out to the accused.

“My only demand is that the police should give such a punishment that serves as a lesson to them,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)