Man Beaten to Death Over Money Dispute in Delhi; Six Arrested Including Transgender Individual

A 32-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death by six people, including a transgender, following a monetary dispute in northeast Delhi's Jyoti Nagar area, officials said on Wednesday.

The victim, identified as Soni Kataria, had objected to the accused demanding protection money from his friend, who runs a parking lot in the area, they said.

The incident took place at Amar Colony in Jyoti Nagar in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, a police officer said.

Kataria was admitted to the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where he died during treatment on Tuesday.

A police officer said Kataria attended a birthday party of his friend Kale, who runs a parking lot in the area. On his way home, he was intercepted by Dheeraj Sharma, who faces five criminal cases, including for abduction and attempt to murder, and five of his associates.

The six accused allegedly thrashed him brutally with sticks for objecting to their demands for money from Kale, the officer said.

The accused also inflicted injuries on the victim's private parts, he added.

Commuters informed the local police about the incident and Kataria was admitted to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, the officer said.

Kataria is survived by his parents and two brothers. He worked in a central government department as a contractual employee, police said.

Devesh (19), Ashwani (20), Sachin (32) and Arun Jyotsa (25), a transgender, have been been arrested in connection with the incident while Sharma and Vivek are on the run, police said.

A murder case has been registered and teams have been formed to nab the absconding accused, they added.