The incident took place in the intervening night of October 13 and 14, police said. (Representational)
A 70-year-old tea stall owner was allegedly killed by a homeless person after the elderly man refused to give him money to consume liquor, police said on Sunday.
The accused, Johan Kevat (44), has been arrested, they added.
The victim, identified as "Chillar Baba", used to run a tea stall at Nigambodh Ghat and the accused kept his money with the elderly man, they said.
The incident took place in the intervening night of October 13 and 14, police said, adding that the accused asked "Chillar Baba" to give him his money for consuming liquor, but the elderly man refused to oblige and abused him instead. This infuriated the accused, who hit him with a stick while he was asleep and fled the spot after the victim died.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said a call was received at the Kashmere Gate police station on October 14 regarding a body lying on the bank of the Yamuna, near Pahadi Ghat. The body had injury marks on the head, the officer said.
Crime and forensic experts from Rohini were called to the spot and the crime scene was inspected. A preliminary enquiry revealed the identity of the victim, who was living in the area for the last eight to 10 years, the DCP said.
A case under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was lodged. Police went through the footage obtained from more than 30 CCTV cameras installed near Nigambodh Ghat and zeroed in on Kevat after interrogating around 30 vagabonds.
Kevat told police that he knew the victim for eight years and was very close to him. He used to keep his money with the victim, the DCP said.
"In the intervening night of October 13-14, he demanded his money from the victim for drinking but the latter refused to oblige and abused him. Kevat hit him on his head with a stick when he was asleep. When he realised that the victim had died, he threw his shawl into the Yamuna river to destroy evidence," the senior officer said.
Police said the blood-stained clothes and the Aadhaar card of the accused and the stick used in the crime have been seized.