Ex-footballer, bank agent held for kidnap and murder

Three people, including a former national-level footballer, were arrested on Thursday for the kidnap and subsequent murder of a South Delhi real estate dealer.

Three people, including a former national-level footballer, were arrested on Thursday for the kidnap and subsequent murder of a South Delhi real estate dealer.

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The police said Dharmendra Arora (45) was abducted on March 19 from Dera Mandi village, where he was invited by the accused on the pretext of meeting prospective clients.

The accused have been identified as former footballer Satguru Das Maheshwari (45), Lokesh Gupta (24) and Gurudarshan (33).

The accused allegedly wanted a Rs 1-crore ransom and killed Arora after he refused to tell his family members that he’d been abducted.

Satyendra Garg, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), said, “Dharmendra’s wife Anju Arora lodged a missing complaint at the Mehrauli police station on March 20.”

The police took the probe to Jhansi after local news channels reported on March 21 that the Bara Gaon police station in Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) had recovered an unknown body.

Anju, who was accompanying the police, identified the body. The police said the accused, during the interrogation, had confessed to their involvement in Dharmendra’s kidnap and murder.

Satguru Das Maheshwari had allegedly met Arora six months ago and planned the kidnap so he could clear his monetary debts. Gupta, one of the accused, worked for ICICI bank as a sales executive and is currently an SBI insurance agent, the police said. The third accused is unemployed.