A 48-year-old canteen contractor working at Chhattisgarh Sadan in Delhi was allegedly murdered by five persons, who dismembered his body with a machete, packed the parts in three plastic bags and threw them in the Yamuna, police said on Monday.The bags, containing the body parts of Anroop Gupta — who was known for his love for gold jewellery — were later recovered from the river near Vrindavan on February 28.Police said four persons – Happy alias Suraj (29), his live-in partner Rakhi (21) and two of his accomplices, Bhupender (27) and Balram (28) – were arrested late Sunday for allegedly conspiring to extort money and rob Gupta of his gold jewellery. The fifth accused in the case, Neeraj, is absconding.Police said that on February 18, Gupta – a resident of Radhika Apartments in Dwarka’s Sector 14 – was invited for a party by the accused and had been missing since then. His white Kia Seltos car was also untraceable.But somehow, his family kept on receiving messages from his phone. “His sister received messages from him. One of his friends saw his WhatsApp status, where his photos of previous trips were being posted. She was also receiving texts from Gupta. One of Gupta’s workers also received a text, saying that they should close the canteen for some days and go home,” an officer said.On February 23, the family filed a missing person’s complaint with the Dwarka North police station.Gupta’s brother Aman Kumar Gupta told The Indian Express that he thought his brother was on a trip.Story continues below this ad“We weren’t aware that he was in Delhi. We saw his status and thought he was travelling. We don’t have any idea about these people (accused),” he added.DCP (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said, “As per CCTV camera footage analysed from toll plazas, the Kia Seltos was last seen on the intervening night of February 19 and 20 at Yamuna Expressway, heading towards Vrindavan and then returning to Noida within hours.”Police said that further analysis of the footage showed that on February 18, Gupta had booked a Rapido bike from Chhattisgarh Sadan after leaving his car there. The rider dropped him at a house in Matiala Extension in Uttam Nagar.The Rapido driver was tracked, who allegedly told the police where he had dropped Gupta in front of a building in Block B. According to CCTV footage from the block, while Gupta entered one of the buildings, he never left. Four others, meanwhile, were seen entering the building. A scooter was also seen parked near the building.Story continues below this adThe next day, the DCP said, Gupta’s car was seen entering the basement of the building and after some time, leaving and going towards Vrindavan.Following this, police tracked the scooter parked near the building. It belonged to Suraj, a native of Hansi in Haryana. He was picked up for questioning.According to the DCP, Suraj said that he, along with Bhupender, Balram, Neeraj and Rakhi, had conspired to extort money and rob Gupta of his gold jewellery. “On February 18, Gupta was invited to a party at the Matiala Extension house. The accused allegedly tied him up, seized his car keys, removed gold ornaments that Gupta kept in his car and demanded money from him. When Gupta refused, they assaulted and stabbed him to death,” he added.Police said Suraj then dismembered the body with a machete. The remains were packed into three plastic bags and dumped into the Yamuna river near Vrindavan.Story continues below this adThe accused allegedly washed the crime scene, left Gupta’s mobile phone in his car to mislead the police, and even sent messages from his phone to the canteen staff and his family members claiming he was travelling to Goa.On February 28, in coordination with Jamuna Par police station in Mathura, the three plastic bags were recovered from the river, said police.“After the murder, Balram and Neeraj had left for their villages in Haryana’s Jhajjar,” said the DCP, adding that Neeraj is yet to be arrested.Police said Suraj had been planning to extort Gupta for about a month. “The others got involved after Suraj assured them that they would be paid well,” Singh said.Story continues below this adPolice said that Suraj previously used to live in Uttam Nagar with his wife. But they separated due to frequent arguments, and about eight months ago, he met Rakhi and they started living in Matiala Extension. Balram, a driver attached to the PWD, knew Suraj. Bhupender and Neeraj, met Suraj while doing odd jobs in Delhi, they added.The DCP said the accused stole nine gold rings, one gold chain and a bracelet from Gupta. So far, three rings and one gold chain have been recovered.