The police on Thursday claimed to have solved the massacre of an entire family of seven by arresting their former driver.
Rahul Verma, 21, was apprehended on Wednesday night near Ghaziabad railway station. Gold and silver jewellery, Rs. 6,000 in cash, a blood-stained shirt and shoes and a mask were recovered from his possession. Police said the valuables had been stolen from the scene of the crime and claimed to have matched the shoes to prints found in the house.
Verma was fired by the victim, businessman Satish Goel, after an earlier theft of Rs. 4.5 lakh at his Nai Basti house. The matter was not reported to the police. Verma has confessed to having stolen Rs. 2 lakh that time and said he was encouraged to attempt another robbery on Tuesday night, police said.
At a press conference, IG (Meerut zone) Bhavesh Kumar Singh said Verma entered Goel’s three-storeyed house from the rear after scaling a building and jumping across a terrace, suffering a hairline fracture in the process.
“When he entered (through the second floor), he came across Goel’s daughter-in-law and grand-daughter. As his mask fell off, he stabbed both women. He then murdered the other five single-handedly,” Singh said.
“When my mask fell, I panicked and stabbed them one by one as they came,” Verma told HT.
{{/usCountry}}“When my mask fell, I panicked and stabbed them one by one as they came,” Verma told HT.
{{/usCountry}}“The injuries on all seven were inflicted by the same weapon that was recovered from the scene,” Singh said. Police had found a knife on Wednesday morning when the crime was discovered.
The killings occurred within 30-45 minutes of Verma breaking in. After he took the cash and jewellery from the almirahs, he left through the main gate. He was planning to flee to Kanpur, where his aunt lives, when he was caught.
“He also answered a call on the mobile of Sachin Goel (Satish’s son) after the murders,” Singh said, but gave no further details.