Rajesh Khanna, a 60-year-old stockbroker, recently received a significant sum of money from the sale of his flat for Rs 80 lakh. This financial transaction was known to all family members, including his niece, Simran Taneja.
Authorities reported that Simran, a 23-year-old primary school teacher, saw an opportunity and enlisted the help of three accomplices, one of whom owned a gym.
On the night of the incident, the group visited Khanna’s residence in Rohini with the intention of stealing the Rs 80 lakh. However, they only discovered Rs 1 lakh in cash and some jewelry.
Upon the return of Khanna’s wife from grocery shopping, she found her husband deceased; he had reportedly been smothered. The suspects had already fled the scene with the limited cash and valuables.
Police apprehended the suspects in the early hours of the following day.
Khanna resided in a two-story building located in G Block, Sector 3, Rohini, alongside his wife. A senior police official confirmed that the flat sale was common knowledge within the family, including to Simran.
On August 30, Simran contacted her friend Himanshu, the owner of Baba Gym, where she worked out. She informed him about the flat sale and the cash that was supposedly in her uncle’s home. Himanshu then involved a gym trainer, Chirag, aged 22, and the three conducted a reconnaissance of the property.
After assessing the layout of the building, they devised a plan to rob Khanna’s home on September 1, around 8 PM, while his wife was out shopping for groceries. They subsequently recruited a fourth individual, 19-year-old Paras, to assist in executing the scheme.
When the four arrived at the house on Tuesday evening, Khanna let them in. While one individual acted as a lookout, the others allegedly smothered him. They rummaged through the house but only found approximately Rs 1 lakh and some jewelry, which they then took before fleeing.
Upon her return, Khanna’s wife discovered the front door ajar and her husband unconscious. DCP Shashank Jaiswal stated, “We received a PCR call at 8:45 PM reporting that an elderly man was found unconscious at his home. He was transported to Jaipur hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.”
During their investigation, police reviewed CCTV footage from the building, which showed Simran, Himanshu, and Chirag loitering around the premises since August 30. The footage also captured them entering the building on the night of the murder.
According to DCP Jaiswal, “The four suspects were arrested on Wednesday at around 5 AM, and the stolen cash and jewelry were recovered from them.” Authorities are now interrogating the suspects to clarify each person’s involvement in the crime.
For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram.
