Kukatpally murder accused travelled 1,300 km in taxi to Ranchi, held

Hyderabad: Days after the gruesome murder of 50-year-old housewife Renu Agarwal in Kukatpally, Cyberabad police on Friday night arrested three accused, including two domestic helps from Ranchi, who plotted and executed the crime with calculated precision. The accused will be brought to Hyderabad on Sunday on a transit remand.Balanagar DCP K Suresh Kumar said, the two domestic helps, Harsh Kumar and Roshan Singh, carefully planned the murder for over three days. Harsh had joined Renu's household as domestic help only 11 days before the crime, but closely observed where the family kept its cash and jewellery."He also saw some imitation jewellery while cleaning the cupboards. Roshan and Harsh have been friends for a long time and together they hatched a plan to steal cash and gold from the victim's house by killing her. They planned since Sept 8 and executed it on Sept 10 when Renu was alone in her flat after the maid left in the afternoon," the DCP said.On the afternoon of Sept 10, the duo killed Renu in a gruesome manner, stole around seven tola of gold, including bangles, rings, and a necklace, as well as cash. Unable to open the locker, they also took imitation jewellery from cupboards. After committing the grisly act, they hired a taxi in Secunderabad and fled to Ranchi by road.The police investigation revealed their escape plan. The duo had enquired from locals about nearby railway stations and chose Hafeezpet. They parked their scooter there, took the MMTS train to Secunderabad, and upon spotting police movement at the station, called Roshan's cousin Raju Verma, 19, in Ranchi. Raju arranged money through his girlfriend via UPI, enabling them to hire a taxi to Ranchi, 1,300 km away from Hyderabad, on the night of Sept 10.Sources added the accused used free Wi-Fi at the station to contact Raju. They reached Ranchi at around 9 pm on Sept 11, where Raju provided them shelter. The taxi driver, returning to Hyderabad, saw the accused's photos in the news on Sept 12 and informed his employer, who alerted the police.With assistance from local authorities, two special teams in Ranchi apprehended Harsh, Roshan, and Raju late Friday as they tried to flee in a car. Police recovered 6.7 tola of gold, 16 wristwatches, two cell phones, and imitation jewellery from their possession.Cyberabad police commissioner Avinash Mohanty said, "Harsh had a history of drug abuse. He was admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Kolkata in the past. When our team caught him, he was under the influence of some narcotic substance. Roshan has a criminal record. He is an accused in three cases registered in Ranchi, including two thefts and an attempted murder, all registered in 2023."Mohnaty appealed to citizens to verify the background and record the details of domestic helps.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Karwa Chauth 2025 wishes, quotes and Messages !