Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Gambling debt led the main accused to murder 64-year-old businessman Rohit Alagh at his residence in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar last year, according to a Delhi Police chargesheet.
Alagh was discovered dead at his residence in Panchsheel Park on Nov 25, 2024. Following a police probe, the prime suspect, Abhay Sikarwar, was arrested in west Delhi. The 320-page chargesheet, which was filed at Saket Court last month, has named him as the sole accused and cited 30 witnesses in the case.
According to sources, two weeks before the murder, Sikarwar, facing repeated calls to repay his gambling debts, started planning a burglary at Alagh’s house. He later told cops he owed Rs 12,000. However, this is still under investigation.
Apart from murder, Sikarwar was also booked under charges related to evidence destruction (Section 238A), house trespass and burglary (sections 331(4) and 332), theft (Section 305), and possession of stolen property (Section 317). Sikarwar destroyed evidence by removing the DVR and cleaning his footprints, and also stole a watch and a T-shirt, police said.
According to sources, in 2019, Sikarwar used to work as a cook at an eatery on the upper floor of the three-storey building where Alagh resided. Sikarwar learned that Alagh lived alone, as both his sons were staying abroad. The eatery closed later during the pandemic in 2020, after which Sikarwar took up odd jobs.
The chargesheet stated that on the day of the murder, the accused took advantage of the knowledge he had gained about Alagh and used it to carefully plan his break-in. Around 9.25am, he entered Alagh’s house by cutting through the kitchen window. His primary goal was to steal valuable items, but as he rummaged through the house, Alagh suddenly woke up, catching Sikarwar off guard. This led to a violent confrontation between the two, said the chargesheet.
In the ensuing struggle, Sikarwar, driven by desperation and the fear of being caught, allegedly fatally stabbed Alagh. After the attack, the accused fled the scene, grabbing a watch in the process, believing it to be valuable, the chargesheet stated.
Alagh stayed on the ground floor of the building. While one of his sons lived on the upper floor, the other stayed with Alagh on the ground level. Both the sons were present in the house when the body was discovered, said police. The investigation revealed that the room of the son staying with Alagh was soundproofed, which was likely the reason the victim’s screams went unheard when he was attacked.
During the probe, traces of deleted gambling apps were found on Sikarwar’s phone. To nab the accused, police reviewed footage from nearly 200 CCTV cameras, which revealed that he travelled to the scene on a motorcycle and then took a bus. Armed with the motorcycle number, cops carried out raids, eventually locating Sikarwar in west Delhi and arresting him.
Mayank Rawat
