Gaurav Chandel death case: Missing SUV found in Ghaziabad

Nine days after the death of Greater Noida (West) resident Gaurav Chandel, police on Wednesday recovered his SUV, which had gone missing on January 6 from Ghaziabad, officials said.

The Kia Seltos was recovered from Masoori area of Ghaziabad by police after they were alerted about a suspicious vehicle being parked in a residential locality since Tuesday night, the officials said.

"The car has been recovered and identified as the one belonging to Chandel and has been brought to Noida. The number plate of the car is missing and further investigation is underway," a police official said.

Chandel's body was recovered along a service road between Parthala Chowk and Hindon Vihar around 4 am on January 7.

The police suspect it was a loot and murder case asChandel's car, his mobile phone and other belongings, including a laptop, were missing.

His death had led to an outrage among citizens over the law and order situation in Gautam Buddh Nagar and especially in Greater Noida (West), which is also known as Noida Extension.

On January 10, the SHO, along with three sub-inspectors of the Bisrakh police station, was suspended for the dereliction of duty.

Chandel's wife and some neighbours had approached the Bisrakh police station around midnight to seek help in tracing his number.

The police there wasted two hours dilly-dallying the matter, citing jurisdiction issues, andChandel's body was recovered with injuries around 4 pm, the family has alleged.

The matter had also drawn criticism for the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government with BSP's Mayawati and Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticising the state of law and order in the region.

This past Sunday,thousands of Greater Noida (West) residents had taken to the streets demanding enhanced security in the region as they came out in a rally to demand early arrest ofChandel's killers.