Stock broker Rajesh Khanna, 60, had recently come into money after selling a flat for Rs 80 lakh. Everyone in his family knew about the deal, including his niece, Simran Taneja.
Police said the 23-year-old primary school teacher allegedly saw an opportunity. They said she roped in three others, including a friend who owned a gym, to execute the plan.
By the time Khanna’s wife returned from grocery shopping, Khanna was dead — he had allegedly been smothered – and the four had fled with the cash and jewellery.
Police arrested them in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to police, Khanna lived in a two-floor building in G Block, Sector 3, Rohini, with his wife.
“Khanna had recently sold a flat for about Rs 80 lakh; everyone in his extended family knew about it, including Simran,” said a senior police officer.
On August 30, police said, Simran called her friend, Himanshu, the owner of Baba Gym, where she worked out.
“She told him about the sale and claimed that Rs 80 lakh was lying in the couple’s house. Himanshu then called a trainer at his gym, Chirag, 22. The three went to recce the house,” said DCP (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal.
After chalking out the in and outs of the building, the trio allegedly hatched a plan: they would rob the house on September 1, around 8 pm, when Khanna’s wife would go out for daily grocery shopping.
Police said they then brought in a fourth person, 19-year-old Paras, to help execute the plan.
When the four arrived at the house on Tuesday evening, Khanna allowed them in. “One of them stood outside as a lookout while the other three allegedly smothered Khanna to death,” said the officer.
The four then searched the house, but could only find about Rs 1 lakh in cash and some jewellery. They took it and fled, said police.
During their probe, police examined CCTV footage from the building and saw that three people — later identified as Simran, Himanshu and Chirag — had been hanging around the building since August 30. The footage also showed them coming to the building on the evening of the murder, said police.
“The four accused were arrested on Wednesday around 5 am. The stolen cash and jewellery was recovered from them,” said DCP Jaiswal.
Police are now questioning all four accused to verify who played what role in the crime.
