BCA student, his friend’s father held for Greater Noida West double murder

A 19-year-old department store employee and his female friend’s father were arrested Friday for the double murder of the department store owner and his wife in Greater

A 19-year-old department store employee and his female friend’s father were arrested Friday for the double murder of the department store owner and his wife in Greater Noida West Tuesday night.

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Police said the main accused, Aman Hayat Khan, a BCA first-year student, was in a relationship with a 16-year-old girl. The girl’s father allegedly blackmailed Khan and demanded money to start a business, else he would file a complaint against Khan for being in a relationship with a minor. The man’s name is being withheld to protect the identity of the girl.

Under pressure from the blackmailing, Khan murdered his 55-year-old employer Vinay Kumar Gupta and his wife Neha Gupta, 50, and stole ₹1 lakh from their flat, police said.

Harish Chander, deputy commissioner of police, Noida Central, said the Guptas were found murdered in their ninth floor three-bedroom apartment in Cherry County on Wednesday morning by their son Kush Gupta when he went to visit them.

“Vinay ran a department store – Price Smart -- in the commercial complex of Cherry County society. There were 22 staff members at the store and only Khan was missing since the murder. We checked the CCTV footage from the premises and found him entering the society at 12.15am through a small gate which connects the commercial complex with the residential side. He exited the society within 15 minutes after visiting Vinay’s flat,” he said.

“The suspect was carrying Vinay’s cash bag when he exited the flat. He then went into the department store and washed his hands and face before abandoning his bloodstained shoes -- these were later identified as Khan’s by the other staff members,” Chander said.

“We put his phone on electronic surveillance and found that he had called the girl’s father, about half an hour after the murders. We launched a search and arrested the girl’s father Friday,” he said.

Ankur Aggarwal, additional DCP, Noida Central, said the girl’s father hailed from Mohali in Punjab and was living with his family in Greater Noida West. “He revealed that Khan was in a relationship with his 16-year-old daughter. He had booked an Oyo Room in Noida’s Sector 62 and hid Khan after the crime,” Aggarwal said.

A police team Friday arrested Khan when came to meet the girl’s father near Galaxy Vega roundabout. Khan told police that the father was blackmailing him for money. “He had proposed to run a business in partnership with me. He asked me to rob my employer and arrange the money,” Khan reportedly told the police.

Khan hails from Motihari district in Bihar and had completed his class 10 with 95% marks and class 12 with 50% marks. His father used to work in Dubai but lost his job six months ago. Khan had by then shifted from Bihar to Greater Noida West and started living with a friend. Chander said when Khan’s father lost his job, he stopped sending money to Khan. “The suspect nearly dropped out of his BCA programme for want of money. Four months ago, he joined Vinay’s department store and began working in the apparels section,” he said.

Chander said on the night of the murder, Khan reached Vinay’s flat and rang the bell. “ Vinay opened the door and Khan told Neha that he was hungry and wanted food. Neha served him dinner and he started demanding money from her. When she refused, he lifted a candle stand and hit on the head. When Vinay rushed to help Neha, he was also attacked with the candle stand,” Chander said.

Chander said Khan also stabbed them with a knife that he had purchased from the department store two days ago. The suspect then stole Vinay’s cash bag containing ₹1 lakh and a cheque book, and fled the spot. Police said Khan bought a mobile phone for ₹15,000 and the reaming cash, about ₹72,000, apart from the chequebook, the new phone, bloodstained clothes and the knife were recovered from Khan’s possession. Gautam Budh Nagar commissionerate has rewarded ₹1 lakh to the police team for solving the double murder.