Met father last on I-Day, says son

In a case of murder for gain, robbers killed a sexagenarian by removing his oxygen mask and taping his mouth, before fleeing with `50 lakh cash and 50 tolas gold ornaments. The unidentified suspects blindfolded the old man’s wife and tied her limbs with shoelaces and affixed a plaster to her mouth as well.

The incident took place at Sirimalle Colony in Hyderguda of Rajendranagar during the wee hours of Friday when the couple Rajendraprasad Agarwal, 68, and his wife Taramathi, 63, were sleeping. Their two sons lived in the neighbouring lanes separately with their families.

At around 2 am, two unidentified masked men entered the house and directly went to the bedroom where the couple was sleeping. “Taramathi said the suspects blindfolded her and tied her limbs, before fixing a white coloured tape to her mouth preventing her from raising an alarm. They then removed her husband's oxygen mask and taped his mouth as well. They picked up the keys of an almirah from a cupboard and took away the gold and cash. After they fled, she removed her blindfold and crawled towards a table, found a knife and used it to cut the laces”, said Rajendranagar inspector G Suresh.

He said that the woman then went to see her husband; he was unconscious on the bed with a white coloured tape affixed to his mouth and his oxygen mask removed.

As the suspects took away the couple’s mobile phones, Taramathi went out and woke up their family doctor M.F.Z. Adoni, who stayed in the same lane. Adoni confirmed Agarwal’s death to Taramathi and then called her younger son Rohit Agarwal, said the inspector.

“The police received a call at around 3 am, and teams immediately rushed there along with a dog squad and clues team. Senior police officials also reached the spot and inspected the scene of the crime. No injuries were found on the old man's body, but the woman had bruises on her hands,” said Suresh.

The autopsy was performed on Agarwal’s body at Osmania General Hospital and handed over to his son Rohit.

There was no breakage of locks or door, except an opened kitchen window. The investigators are still not sure from where the suspects gained entry. The kitchen window was unlatched from inside.

Whether the robbers gained entry from there or exited from there is not sure. No other signs Casting no suspicion on the maid or the driver, deceased Rajendraprasad Agarwal’s younger son Rohit Agarwal said that the suspects could have gained entry into the house from the rear door, which his mother mostly forgot to lock and could have waited for the right time to strike.

Rohit, who has been taking care of his family business of running a grocery store at Osman Gunj, had moved to a new house about seven months back, which was located in the neighbouring lane of their parents Rajendraprasad Agarwal and Taramathi’s house in Sirimalle Nagar in Rajendranagar.

Rajendraprasad was getting over `1lakh rent from the commercial complex located in the old city area. He also used to give loans to people among his circle. About two months back, he suffered a cardiac problem, and the doctor advised him to use an oxygen mask while sleeping to prevent snoring.

“I met my father last on Independence Day. He called me and asked for some medicines. I bought and gave them to him that night and spent an hour with him, talking about random things. I could not talk to him yesterday of breaking into the house were found, said the officials.

“A CCTV camera installed in front of the house of the deceased person had not been (August 16) due to work at the shop. Even my elder brother, who runs a gas agency, could not talk to my father”, shared Rohit.

“When I used to live with my parents, I ensured the rear door of our duplex house was locked. But, my mother tends to forget to do it. I strongly suspect that the robbers would have gained entry through the rear door when it was opened and hid upstairs till late in the night, and left through the kitchen window”, Rohit said,

Meanwhile, the Rajendranagar police found that a woman identified as Lalitha worked as a maid in the house and the couple also had a car driver, who joined 10 days ago.

“The maid has been working with the family for nine years. She entered their home at 10 am and left in an hour's time. But, in the last seven months, at least five drivers had been changed, for reasons best known to them”, said the official. working for the last two days. We are checking if its wires were cut by the suspects, or it happened due to heavy rains”, said an investigating official. A new gang of burglars is on the prowl on the city outskirts for the last one week. Before the nightmare of the i20 car gang has been forgotten by the public, a new gang has started committing burglaries in locked houses located in residential areas.

With the public noticing the movements of the gang during the wee hours in the residential areas at Rajendranagar, the police verified CCTV footage and found the suspects travelling in an Alto car and conducting a recce.

Recently, there were a series of burglaries in locked houses by a gang moving in an i20 car in the tri-commissionerates. The new gang coming into the picture has raised suspicions whether the same gang has changed the vehicle or a new gang is on the prowl.

According to sources, on Tuesday night, at around 10.30 am, the gang was found moving in a red coloured Alto car at PA Ramreddy Hills residential colony in Upparpally under Rajendranagar police station limits.

“The gang returned after about half an hour and returned again at 1.30 am and roamed in the colonies till 2.30 am. They walk in the colonies wearing jackets and masks to avoid identification. The five members come in the same car, park it at a distance and then go on a looting spree,” sources said.

Cyberabad police official said “The gang targets locked houses and burgle them. A burglary took place in Cyberabad and another in Rachakonda recently. Special teams are working on the clues to nab the gang.”

Ruling out the possibility of the Alto car gang being behind the sexagenarian’s murder, an official said: “The case of murder for gain at Sirimalle Nagar may not have the involvement of the Alto car gang as they break the locks using iron rods and steal only from locked houses. Even on Thursday night (August 16), teams were waiting for them, but suddenly were alerted about the robbery at the Agarwal’s house.”