The victim sustained severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital where he died (Representational)
An 18-year-old man was beaten to death allegedly over his friendship with a woman following which two people, including her brother, were arrested and three others detained, police said on Friday.
The incident took place on Wednesday evening in northwest Delhi's Adarsh Nagar, they added.
The woman's brother and a relative have been arrested and three juveniles detained in connection with the incident, the police said.
The victim, Rahul Rajput, was a second-year student in Delhi University's School of Open Learning. He also provided tuition to school students, they added.
According to the police, the victim was friends with a woman from his locality but her family was against the friendship.
On Wednesday evening, the victim was called to Nanda Road on some pretext, and when he reached the spot, he was physically assaulted allegedly by a group of four-five people, including the woman's brothers, a senior police officer said.
He sustained severe injuries in the assault and was rushed to a hospital, where he died during the course of treatment, the officer said.
"The deceased did not have any visible injury. A post-mortem examination was conducted, and the doctor opined that rupturing of the spleen led to his death," said Vijayanta Arya, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest).
A case was registered under section 302 (murder) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code based on a statement of an uncle of the victim, she said, adding that two men were arrested.
The uncle of the victim said in his statement that his nephew and the woman knew each other for close to two years. They lived in the same locality but the woman's parents, and especially her brothers, were against the friendship, he added.
"On Wednesday, around 7 pm, I got a call from my friend who informed us that four-five people were beating up my nephew. When I reached the place, I found that my nephew was being beaten up brutally by the woman's brothers and their associates. They slapped, punched and kicked him," he mentioned in his complaint.
The victim's uncle also alleged that the accused had earlier threatened his nephew.
He stated that the accused told him that his nephew talked to their sister and they did not like it. They said they would kill him if he continued to speak to her, the complainant further said, adding that he pleaded with them to let his nephew go.
The police said the case was under investigation and personnel have been deployed in the locality to avoid any tension between the families.