Delhi: Two minors apprehended for robbery, murder of 77-year-old

Police said the murder weapon, stolen cash, foreign currency, jewellery and a stolen motorcycle used in the crime were recovered from them

Seventy-two hours after a 77-year-old builder was robbed and murdered at his home in Civil Lines on Sunday, a joint team of the Delhi Police and the crime branch has cracked the case and apprehended two juveniles in conflict with law on Tuesday for the crime. The murder weapon, stolen cash, foreign currency, jewellery and a stolen motorcycle used in the crime were recovered from them, the police said.

The stolen motorcycle used in the crime was also recovered from Mukundpur. (Picture for representation only)

Sagar Singh Kalsi, deputy commissioner of police (north), said during questioning, both suspects told the police that they were below 18 years of age and hence their names have been withheld.

According to the police, builder Ram Kishore Aggarwal lived by himself on the ground floor of the two-storey house in Civil Lines while his son and his family lived on the first floor. He was found dead on Sunday with his throat slashed and stab wounds to his abdomen, A total of ₹10.73 lakh cash, jewellery and valuables were missing from the house, police said.

“One of apprehended juveniles disclosed that he had worked at Aggarwal’s house as a help around two years ago, and was well acquainted with the house and its owner’s routine. He also told us that he was sacked on allegations of theft, and he bore a grudge against the builder since then. He roped in his friend from his village in Madhubani district of Bihar and started planning a foolproof revenge crime,” he said.

He further said that both of them purchased a toy pistol from the Lajpat Rai Market and two knives from the Chawri Bazar. “They stole a bike on April 28 from the Wazirabad area. On April 30, they reached Aggrwal’s house around 10pm and parked their bike in front of the house and waited. Since one of the boys knew Aggarwal’s routine, he knew that the elderly man would open the main door around 5.30am to take a walk on the lawns. So they scaled the boundary wall after he opened the door, bolted the door of the guard room from outside and entered the house. They got into the Aggarwal’s bedroom and overpowered him before slitting his throat and stabbing him in the abdomen. They then took all the cash and jewellery from the wardrobe and fled the spot on their stolen bike,” he said.

Kalsi said the CCTV footage and a Delhi Metro travel card used by one of the boys helped them nab the two suspects. The joint police team was alerted when one of the suspects used the same card at the entrance at Rajiv Chowk Metro station on Tuesday evening. “Subsequently, the first boy was nabbed. During interrogation, he revealed that his associate is hiding in Mukundpur village. A search was conducted there and the second boy was also apprehended. A search of his hideout yielded a bag containing ₹10.37 lakh cash, some foreign currency, two wrist watches and jewellery -- all taken from the builder’s home. The police also recovered a mobile phone, which was bought by them with the stolen money. At their instance, the motorcycle used in the crime was also recovered from the Mukundpur. They had snatched it on April 30 from Wazirabad area,” Kalsi said.