Kanpur, A coaching institute owner in Kanpur was killed allegedly during an attempt to rob his jewellery worth around ₹10 lakh by his close friend, a senior official said, adding that the police have arrested the accused on Saturday.
Vijay Prakash Gupta, who ran a coaching institute in Nawabganj, was found dead on June 1 after a woman teacher arrived at the institute and alerted police, the officer said.
According to the police, the accused, Mohit Dwivedi Gupta’s close friend of 18 years allegedly disguised himself in a burqa and visited the coaching centre on May 31 posing as a prospective student and allegedly attempted to snatch his gold chain and bracelet, leading to a scuffle during which the victim was pushed forcefully and suffered a fatal head injury.
Police alleged that Dwivedi then dragged the unconscious Gupta into another room, stole the jewellery and fled the spot.
Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal said the condition of the body, which appeared to have been dragged, initially left investigators uncertain whether the death was accidental or the result of a violent assault.
During the investigation, police examined nearly 500 CCTV footage clips and repeatedly spotted a burqa-clad suspect moving through different parts of the city. Surveillance inputs and technical evidence eventually led investigators to Dwivedi, a resident of Nawabganj.
Lal said Dwivedi had allegedly planned the robbery for about 15 days after noticing Gupta’s expensive gold chain and bracelet during a trip to Khajuraho earlier this year.
“The accused studied methods to conceal his identity and mislead investigators before executing the crime,” the police commissioner said.
According to the police, Dwivedi who holds BA, LLB and MA degrees watched crime-based television programmes and searched YouTube for ways to avoid detection.
He allegedly purchased a burqa, women’s slippers, gloves, a purse and a dupatta from a local market nearly a week before the crime and conducted repeated reconnaissance around the coaching centre to identify escape routes and CCTV camera locations.
On the day of the incident, he allegedly parked his car near JK Cancer Hospital in Swaroop Nagar, changed into the disguise and travelled by autorickshaw in an attempt to create the impression that the suspect had arrived from Kannauj, police said.
Investigators said the accused pretended to be mute and communicated through written slips with an autorickshaw driver and later with Gupta while expressing interest in taking admission at the coaching institute.
Police said Gupta and Dwivedi shared a long-standing friendship and had earlier operated coaching centres in the same building. Officials said Dwivedi’s financial condition had deteriorated in recent years after his coaching business shut down and his wife left him. He subsequently started working in manpower supply services and had recently appeared for the Trained Graduate Teacher examination.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to the murder and robbery. Police said the stolen gold jewellery and other incriminating evidence have been recovered.
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