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Two men were arrested late Tuesday for allegedly murdering a 25-year-old Delhi resident over a cab fare dispute on March 28, police said.

- Peeyush Khandelwal

GHAZIABAD: The crime came to light after the suspects were apprehended following a chase and shoot-out in Kaushambi, during which one of them sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.

The suspects, identified as Zeeshan Ansari, 22, from Khoda and Ale Navi, 27, from Simbhaoli in Hapur district, were stopped by police during routine checks in Kaushambi. "When we asked them to halt, they attempted to flee, after abandoning their car, and opened fire at us. In retaliatory fire, Ansari was shot in the leg, and Navi was nabbed soon after," said Abhishek Srivastava, ACP of Indirapuram circle.

During questioning, they admitted to killing Sandeep Kumar, a contractual pharmacist at IGI Airport and a resident of Vasant Vihar, Delhi.

Kumar's body was found under the Hindon elevated road on March 29.

Police said Kumar likely arrived in Kaushambi via Metro on the night of March 28 and hired Navi's cab to reach Khoda to visit a friend. "An argument over fare broke out during the ride. Navi, who was driving, and Ansari, the co-driver, assaulted Sandeep and later dumped him below the elevated road," Srivastava said.

The suspects were not affiliated with any online cab service and operated the vehicle as an unregistered private taxi.