A 42-year-old former Delhi Police constable was held on charges of killing a Greater Noida resident in a bid to take possession of his house, senior officers said on Friday, adding that the suspect was arrested around Thursday midnight, 13 days after the victim was reported missing by kin.
The dispute erupted after Ankush Sharma (45), a property owner and resident of Golf Vista apartments, in Alpha-2, Greater Noida, demanded more than the initially agreed upon price from Praveen Singh (42), a former policeman and resident of Meerut. .
According to Saad Miya Khan, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Greater Noida, the suspect Singh met Sharma on February 20 through a property broker Sanchit (single name).
“Sharma wished to sell a flat he owned in SKA society in Eta-2, Greater Noida. The deal was fixed with Singh for 1.18 crore, of which 88 lakh was to be paid upfront in check and 30 lakh cash later,” said Khan.
By March, Singh paid Sharma only 7 lakh and the transfer memorandum (TM) process was initiated on April 27.
“On May 10, the TM letter was received from the Greater Noida authority and Singh shifted to the flat while agreeing to pay the remaining price soon. Sharma then left for Canada and the registry could not be done. In July, he returned and demanded 20 lakh more than the agreed amount ( 1.18 crore). Singh refused. The date of TM was about to expire and Sharma kept demanding more money,” said the officer.
On August 5, Singh visited Sharma’s office in Alpha-2 market in Greater Noida with Sanchit, and agreed to give him 11 lakh for the time being.
Police said Singh later hatched a plan to kill Sharma.
On August 9, he picked up Sharma from his office.
“Singh told Sharma he would give him the 11 lakh at his flat in SKA society. On the way, Singh gave Sharma a drink laced with sedatives. He then took Sharma to the society’s parking, and hit him on the head with a hammer killing him,” said Khan.
At night, he hid the body in a disputed property not visited by anyone, the DCP said.
On August 10, Sharma’s wife reported him missing at the Beta-2 police station. “With the help of surveillance and manual intelligence, Singh was arrested. He also led the police to the body. The hammer and the car used in the crime were also recovered,” said Khan.
Singh has been booked under charges of murder (103(1)), destroying evidence (238) and giving poison to another person (123) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and was sent to judicial custody on Friday.
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