Fashion designer found murdered in Lucknow hotel room, friend prime suspect

A 28-year-old aspiring fashion designer, Arpit Dixit of Shahjahanpur district, was found murdered in a hotel in Qaiserbagh police area here on Sunday.

The deceased’ and his friend, a teacher at a polytechnic college in Bahraich, had checked into the hotel room on May 3. The teacher is missing and is a prime suspect in the murder, police said.

According to the police, the house keeping staff of the hotel reported that the guests in room number 203 were not responding to calls and a ‘Do not disturb’ slip was pasted on the room’s door on Sunday afternoon. The hotel staff then called the police control room when foul smell started emanating from the room.

When the police reached the spot, they found Dixit’s body in a decomposed condition. The body was sent for post-mortem which confirmed strangulation.

Additional superintendent of police (west), Vikas Chandra Tripathi said the deceased was identified as Arpit Dixit of Sadar Kotwali locality of Shahjahanpur.

“Arpit was doing a course in fashion designing from an institute in Rae Bareli. He, along with one Abhinav Pal, had checked in to the hotel room on May 3,” he said.

He said Abhinav Pal, who is a native of TP Nagar locality of Kanpur and a teacher at polytechnic college in Bahraich, had booked the room online and had submitted the photocopy of his identity card.

“It is a case of murder. The injuries could not be detected as the body was found in a highly decomposed state and Abhinav is the prime suspect,” the ASP said.