Ghaziabad man kills tenant for ₹1crore, chops body into three pieces; arrested

The deceased man was pursuing a Phd from BR Ambedkar University in Lucknow, police said. He was the only surviving member of his family and had sold his parental property for ₹1crore three months before he was murdered, police said

A 40-year-old man was allegedly murdered by his landlord in Ghaziabad’s Modinagar two months ago and his body was dismembered into three pieces and disposed of on the night of October 6. The landlord, Umesh Sharma, a resident of Radha Enclave, and another man, Pravesh Kumar Sharma (42), a resident of Bisrakh in Gautam Budh Nagar, were arrested in connection with the murder on Wednesday evening, police officers said.

Police said they are investigating the role of more people in connection with Ankit Khokhar’s murder. (HT Photo)

The initial First Information Report (FIR) in the case was registered for abduction on December 12 after the friends of the deceased man, Ankit Khokhar, failed to contact him. The deceased man was pursuing a Phd from BR Ambedkar University in Lucknow, police said.

Khokhar, who was from Baghpat district, was staying as a tenant for at least six months before he was murdered on October 6, police said. He was the only surviving member of his family and had sold his parental property for ₹1crore three months before he was murdered, police said.

“Khokhar became friendly with his landlord and disclosed that he received ₹1crore for the sale of his land. The landlord later took a loan of ₹40lakh from him. He then strangled Khokhar in his room and dismembered his body into three parts on the night of October 6. We have recovered some forensic evidence from the scene of the crime and also the saw used to cut the body,” said Iraj Raja, DCP (rural).

Umesh said he packed the deceased man’s head in a plastic bag and his legs and other parts in two other plastic bags, police officers said.

Two of the bags were disposed of in a canal in Khatauli in Meerut district and Muradnagar in Ghaziabad, while the third was thrown near the eastern peripheral expressway in Ghaziabad. Police said they are trying to find the body parts as well as the car in which Umesh travelled to these locations.

After the murder, Umesh withdrew ₹20lakh using Khokhar’s cards and codes in different denominations through online banking and ATMs, police officers said.

He later gave Khokhar’s ATM card to his friend, Pravesh, and asked him to withdraw more money, police said.

“Pravesh was asked not to take his mobile phone and he was given Khokhar’s phone and asked to switch it on during withdrawals. This was done to create the impression that Kokhar himself was withdrawing the money from different locations. The first withdrawal of ₹40,000 was on December 1 from Haridwar while a similar amount was withdrawn in Rishikesh on December 2. Another withdrawal of a similar amount was made at an ATM in Roorkee on December 12,” Raja added.

The police said they have recovered Khokhar’s mobile phone from the possession of Umesh. In the initial weeks after the murder, Umesh used Khokhar’s mobile phone and replied to several messages sent by the latter’s friends, police said.

Khokhar’s friend Vijay Balya noticed a difference in expression in his chat messages and responses, and when he and his other friends tried to call him, Umesh did not answer the phone, police said.

Becoming suspicious, Balya and his friends approached the police and gave a missing person complaint at Modinagar police station.

Police picked up several people for questioning, including the landlord, who broke down and confessed to murdering Khokhar, officers said.

Police said they are investigating the role of more people in connection with the murder.