MEERUT, June 5 -- A retired Uttar Pradesh state road transport corporation employee was murdered in Meerut's Ganganagar area, allegedly by a man who owed him Rs 2.5 lakh. Police said the victim, 67-year-old Moolchand Tyagi, was first strangled and then attacked with a sharp-edged weapon before his body was dumped near the Sikheda Rajbaha canal along NH-34. Tyagi, a resident of F Block 110 in Ganganagar, was running a small grocery shop outside his home following retirement. He was also known to lend money at interest and had reportedly extended Rs 8 to 10 lakh in loans to various individuals. One such borrower, Azad Jatav, a salesman from the Kaseru Baksar area, was among those who had borrowed Rs 2.5 lakh from Tyagi along with an associate. According to police, repeated requests for repayment were met with excuses. "On Tuesday evening, Azad reportedly visited Tyagi's residence, asking him to bring the original stamp paper documenting the loan, citing a dispute with his associate. Later, he convinced Tyagi to accompany him on his motorcycle to sort out the issue," the police said. Tyagi stayed in touch with his family until 8 pm, but his phone was switched off thereafter. Concerned over his sudden disappearance, family members contacted the police. The next day, around 11:30 am, Ganganagar police informed the family that an unidentified body had been found near the canal. It was later confirmed to be that of Moolchand Tyagi. The postmortem report revealed he had been strangled and then attacked with a sharp weapon on the face. Superintendent of police (SP) Rural Rakesh Kumar Mishra said a murder case has been registered against Azad Jatav and an unidentified accomplice. "Police teams are conducting raids to trace the accused. We are treating the case with full seriousness and assure the family of justice," Mishra said. Tyagi is survived by his wife Sunita and two sons, Atul and Amit....