Police at Cherry County’s B2 Tower, where the incident took place. (Express photo: Gajendra Yadav)Police on Friday arrested two persons in connection with the murder of a Greater Noida-based businessman and his wife inside their home. The accused, Aman Khan (19), worked at a store owned by the victim Vinay Gupta (60), adjacent to his apartment in Cherry County. According to police Vinay and his wife Neha (55) were murdered after the couple resisted a robbery bid.
“Once we began investigating the case, we found the movements of Aman suspicious. We scanned CCTV footage and found he was in the vicinity after 11.45 pm, the same time Vinay’s son had left the house. On further investigation it was found that Aman was in need of money because of his relationship with a minor. The minor’s father has also been arrested since he demanded money,” said Harish Chander, DCP Gautam Buddh Nagar.
According to police, Vinay had a family-run department store which sold groceries, jewellery and other items. Aman worked at the store and was aware that Vinay would deposit the day’s earnings in the bank the next day.
The accused allegedly had an affair with a 16-year-old girl from Noida, police said. The girl’s father was aware of their acquaintance and would blackmail Aman for money. Aman, in dire need for money, planned to rob the couple as he knew they would have cash with them, said police.
“Since it was Karwa Chauth, there was a henna stall outside their shop. He stayed till everyone left and around 12 am, went to the couple’s house, demanding money. The couple told him they do not have the money. An argument took place and Aman attacked the woman with a showpiece and then her husband. We have recovered from him Rs 70,000 that he stole after the murder,” said Harish Chander, DCP Gautam Buddh Nagar.
Police had earlier questioned more than 20 employees at Vinay’s store and it was found that Aman had been absconding. Both Aman and the minor’s father were arrested from Noida after their movements on CCTV footage and their CDR locations were investigated. According to police, since Aman was an employee and would frequent the couple’s house often, his entry was not suspected by the building’s staff.
As per the postmortem report, the accused hit the victims’ head multiple times. Neha’s body was found inside the kitchen, and Vinay’s in the living room.
Hailing from Saharanpur, Vinay had shifted to his apartment two months ago to run the store better. Kush Gupta, their son, had met them last on Tuesday night and was the first one to discover their bodies as they did not respond to his calls the next morning. Kush handled the business with his father, while Vinay’s other son, Luv, resides in the US.
Following the incident, a notice to revoke the security agency’s license was sent to senior officials by Noida Police. A reward of Rs 1 lakh has been announced for the arresting team, said police.