Former cook of tenant held for killing 64-year-old in Delhi

Delhi Police arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the crime, with investigators stating that it was a case of a robbery gone wrong.

Days after a 64-year-old man was brutally murdered inside his Panchsheel Park house, the Delhi Police on Thursday arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the crime, with investigators stating that it was a case of a robbery gone wrong.

The victim Rohit Kumar.(HT Print)

According to police, 64-year-old Rohit Kumar was found lying in a pool of blood on Monday morning with 25-30 stab wounds and his throat slit. Kumar lived on the ground floor of a three-storey house, along with his younger son, who is a musician. His elder son, a restaurateur, lived on the second floor with his family, while the first floor was rented out to tenants, officers said.

On Thursday, police arrested Abhay Sikarwar for the murder. The 25-year-old used to work as a cook for the tenants, before he was fired during the pandemic in 2020, investigators said.

Sikarwar wanted to rob cash and valuables from Kumar’s house to repay a loan and rent a flat for his girlfriend, said police.

Sharing the leads that led to Sikarwar’s arrest, deputy commissioner of police (south) Ankit Chauhan said that after the murder came to light, the police probe revealed that the accused knew the house and its entry and exit points. Police also discovered that the murderer had stolen the digital video recorder (DVR) system of the CCTV cameras installed in the house.

In addition, police said, a net on the kitchen window was torn, indicating that the accused used it to enter and exit.

With this lead, DCP Chauhan said, footage from more than 500 CCTV cameras was analysed, and technical analysis led to the killer.

“The accused was well aware of the topography of the house as he had earlier worked on the first floor of the same property four years ago. He thought that the deceased was living alone,” he said.

Police said Sikarwar entered the house with the intention of robbery as he was in need of money to repay a loan, and to take a flat on rent for his girlfriend.

An investigator said, “He entered the house through the kitchen net, and had planned to rob cash and jewellery from the ground floor. However, Kumar woke up and caught him. A scuffle broke out, and Sikarwar panicked, and began stabbing Kumar. The accused then decided to make a run for it, and did not rob anything,” an investigator said, on condition of anonymity.

Police said Sikarwar was caught on Thursday afternoon from Moti Nagar, where he works as a cook.

Investigators had earlier said that they suspected that Kumar was killed by someone he knew over personal enmity, judging by the multiple stab wounds on his body.