Domestic help, driver held in senoir citizen's murder case

The Delhi Police have arrested the driver and domestic help of the family for the robbery and murder of an 86-year-old man in Patel Nagar.

The Delhi Police have arrested the driver and domestic help of the family for the robbery and murder of an 86-year-old man in Patel Nagar.

HT Image

On Monday, Om Prakash Sharma (86), a retired ministry of defence officer, was found killed at his Patel Nagar house. According to the police the entry of robbers was friendly so they were suspecting an insider's role.

The driver was with the family for the past 10 years and needed money as he was falling short of funds to build his house while the domestic help joined him as he had been snubbed on several occasions by the victim.

The accused have been identified as Rajesh Kumar Chaudhry (34) — a driver working with the Sharma's for the past 10 years, and his relative Mahesh Kumar Chaudhry (21). The domestic help who is a minor and was hired a few months ago has also been apprehended.

"The domestic help used to be present in the house all day but on that particular day he insisted on accompanying Sharma's grandchildren to tuition classes in south Delhi," said Vivek Kishore, DCP (central).

However, the servant was in touch with the accused through phone and apprised him that Sharma was alone at his house and it was the right time to strike. "The driver and his relative killed Sharma and fled with all the booty. Rajesh had even sold his jhuggi and switched off his mobile phone to avoid being caught. He had gone on leave two months back and said that he was going to his native place in Bihar," Kishore added.

A week before the crime, Rajesh called up his employers and asked for Rs 50,000 as loan. When they refused, he planned to rob the house. The call details of Rajesh revealed that he was in touch with the servant.

"Rajesh accepted his crime during investigation. We arrested him from a lodge in Darbhanga," said a senior police officer.