New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- A 60-year-old stock market investor was found dead in northwest Delhi's Rohini, with police apprehending his 23-year-old niece and two associates in connection with the robbery-cum-murder, an officer said.
Rakesh Khanna was found unconscious at his house in Sector 3, Rohini, on Tuesday evening, with the house ransacked. A PCR call was received at 8.14 pm reporting a house theft and an unconscious person. Khanna was taken to Jaipur Golden Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Prima facie, there were no visible injuries on his body.
During the investigation, police learnt that the accused knew Khanna had recently sold property worth Rs 75 lakh. Simran Taneja, his niece and a private primary school teacher from Burari, allegedly hatched the conspiracy with her friend Himanshu, a gym owner, to rob cash and valuables, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal said.
The accused conducted a recce of the house on Sunday, August 30, and had also attempted the crime earlier but failed. They returned on Tuesday to execute the plan.
Taneja facilitated entry. She allegedly took Khanna's wife and her own mother to a fair in Paschim Vihar, leaving her uncle alone. She later reached the house in an autorickshaw and asked Khanna to open the door. Three persons then entered while another associate kept watch outside. The accused wore helmets, caps and masks to conceal identities.
After entering, they allegedly overpowered Khanna and pressed his mouth to prevent him from raising an alarm. He fell unconscious during the assault and subsequently died.
Around Rs 72,400 in cash and two gold rings reported stolen were recovered. Preliminary investigation led police to Taneja, who emerged as the alleged main conspirator.
Two alleged associates, Chirag (22), a Burari resident who works as a gym trainer at
The Beast Gym in Baba Colony, and Paras (19), a Class XII student, were also apprehended. Paras was earlier booked in a criminal case at Mukherjee Nagar police station. Himanshu, also from Burari, is absconding and efforts are underway to arrest him. A case under Sections 103(1) (punishment for murder), 309(4) (robbery) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at South Rohini police station.
FSL and Crime Team personnel examined the crime scene. Further investigation is underway to establish the precise role of each accused, complete recovery of stolen property, ascertain the circumstances and cause of Khanna's death, and apprehend Himanshu.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.