Ghaziabad: Two men have been arrested and a juvenile has been apprehended for strangling an 80-year-old man during a robbery attempt at his home in Loni Border on April 29. The victim, Ramesh Chandra Sharma, was found with his limbs tied and mouth gagged at his house in Uttaranchal Vihar Colony. Police said he was assaulted first and then strangled, calling the murder a result of a home invasion gone wrong.
Details of the Incident
Deputy Commissioner of Police (rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari identified the arrested men as Anand Sharma, 30, and his nephew Priyanshu, 20. Anand’s daughter, a minor, has also been taken into custody. Ramesh was a widower who lived with his two sons, Vikas and Gaurav. Vikas works in a loan consultancy firm, while Gaurav is employed at a private company in Chawri Bazar, Delhi.
On Wednesday, Gaurav left for work as usual. Vikas left his father at home around 2:30 pm as he had errands in Delhi. When he returned at 7:30 pm, he found the front door locked. Despite calling his father multiple times, there was no response. He went to the back of the house and found the door ajar. He discovered his father lying lifeless on the ground floor and the house ransacked. He filed a complaint at Loni Border police station, and a case of murder was registered against unidentified people.
There were no signs of forced entry, leading police to believe the murderer knew Sharma well, possibly due to personal enmity. Initially, Vikas told police that no valuables were missing, so the robbery angle was dismissed. However, he later found that a ring and a pair of anklets were missing, prompting police to re-examine the theft angle.
Investigation and Arrests
Investigators reviewed CCTV footage from around the house and identified Anand as a suspect. He was arrested after a brief gunfight on Friday. A country-made pistol and cartridges were found in his possession. Sections under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 109(1) (attempt to murder) and Arms Act sections 3, 25, and 27 were added to the FIR.
After interrogation, police arrested Priyanshu and took his daughter into custody on Saturday. The missing jewelry was recovered from them. Police added BNS Section 317(2), which entails punishment for hiding stolen property, to the FIR against them.
Motive and Background
DCP Tiwari said the arrested men knew the Sharmas well, as Anand’s wife Rekha used to work at their house as a cook. Anand’s daughter had also worked for the family before being dismissed on suspicion of stealing Rs 2,000 from them. Rekha allegedly pleaded with the Sharmas, but her position was never restored.
Anand’s daughter reportedly told him that the family had many valuables in the house, leading him to plan the robbery with her and his nephew. On April 29, the trio broke into the house to commit theft but were caught by Ramesh. They overpowered him, tied him up with plastic ropes, beat him with sticks, and then murdered him before fleeing through the back door.
