Robbed, killed by his employees.
By The American Bazaar Staff
NEW DELHI: A highly decorated retired Indian Army Major was murdered here on Thursday, and the perpetrators appear to be four young men, two of whom worked for the veteran officer in his home.
Maj. Rohit Sethi (65) was found murdered at his home in West Patel Nagar. Police believe the Major was smothered to death in the early morning hours on Thursday, and was unable to fight back because he had been fed a dinner that was heavily laced with sedative drugs. They then robbed the Major’s household of several valuable items, including jewelry and cash, before running.
The body was discovered by the Major’s 94 year-old mother, who he lived with at their home. The Major also had a Paying Guest operation at his house, which Ravi Kumar – who is said to have been the group’s ringleader – oversaw as the caretaker. Another employee, identified as Pankaj, was a household worker hired recently by the Major and his mother.
Police say that Pankaj had been hired only four days before the murder took place. The other two men allegedly involved with the murder are brothers Arun and Pintu Yadav. According to police, it was through tracking phone calls to and from the latter brother that they were able to hone in on the suspects and finally nab them.
More than 20 calls placed on Pankaj’s cell phone were tracked by police in the 24 hours leading up to the crime. It was discovered that the SIM card of that phone had been purchased in Pintu Yadav’s name, thus linking the two. Other calls were traced that pinned the other two men, who had already been reported missing – an immediate red flag for the police.
Pintu was later arrested, and after intense interrogation, confessed the crime to the police.
Maj. Sethi’s murder was apparently planned about a month in advance, and was done to get to the goods that were ultimately stolen. The money and jewelry have now been re-possessed by the police, and all four men are in custody as police continue to gather all the facts of the case.
Sethi is remembered as a hero from the 1971 Indo-Pak War, in which he served as a Second Lieutenant, and for which he won a gallantry award. Sethi retired from the Army in 1982, and was formerly associated with the BJP, having been a president of the party’s ex-servicemen’s division.