Bhopal: Nearly a month after retired IAS officer Rakesh Agarwal was found murdered at his Bhopal home, police have arrested the main accused, his caretaker Varun Kumar, from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, IANS reported on Tuesday, November 3. The arrest follows the earlier development in the case, in which a Special Investigation Team headed by AIG Umesh Tiwari was constituted and a reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for information leading to the arrest.

Source: IANS via Asia Post

While Kumar was being brought to Bhopal on Tuesday morning, a scuffle broke out between him and the police near Mugalia Chhap and he allegedly attempted to escape. In the ensuing action he sustained a bullet injury to his leg and was taken to Hamidia Hospital for treatment, IANS reported. Senior police officers confirmed the arrest and said he would now be interrogated to establish the motive behind the murder and other aspects of the case.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

Agarwal, a 1982-batch IAS officer in his early seventies, was found murdered at his residence in the Suraj Nagar locality under Ratibad police station limits on the morning of October 1; police said his throat had been slit with a sharp weapon during the night of September 30, and his wife Nishi Agarwal discovered the body in the bedroom. The house was found in disarray with almirahs ransacked, and police said the accused had allegedly disconnected the cooking gas cylinder pipe in an unsuccessful bid to set the house ablaze and destroy evidence. Kumar had been hired only a few days earlier through a local agency to provide round-the-clock care for the retired officer, who was suffering from back pain, and he absconded immediately after the crime.

Oct 1Retired IAS officer found murdered at Suraj Nagar home
Rs 50,000Reward announced for arrest information
~1 monthMain accused on the run
Nov 3Arrest from Agra announced

Police teams had searched across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh — including Mathura, Vrindavan and Gwalior — Punjab and other areas, using CCTV footage and technical leads to track the accused's movements. The delay in the arrest had drawn concern from the IAS Association, whose representatives had earlier met the Chief Secretary and later Chief Minister Mohan Yadav seeking swift action. Police will now interrogate Kumar about the motive, the planning of the crime, the possibility of robbery and his activities while on the run; the investigation is under way and further details are awaited.