Grovers' murder accused brought to Delhi, 'weapon' recovered

New Delhi, Aug 3 (UNI) Police today recovered a iron pipe used by the servant to bludgeon the 74-year-old retired Income Tax Officer and his wife to death in Karol Bagh on July 31.

The iron pipe with blood stains was recovered after the 19-year-old servant of the Grovers, Sikandar alias Prakash Kujoor, was brought here last evening by the team which had gone to trace him, DCP (Central) Neeraj Thakur told mediapersons today.

''The rod had been hidden in a room below the staircase at the East Park residence of Grovers.'' A mobile of the Grovers and Rs 1,000 have also been recovered from his possession, he said.

During interrogation Sikander admitted to have committed the crime and disclosed that the Grovers would often torture and humiliate him over small things and had confined him to a small enclosure at their residence reserved for servants.

''He said after brutally assaulting the Grovers with the iron rod on Sunday night, he tried to escape the next morning but the 'chowkidar' did not allow him to go as he had been instructed by the family to not let him leave the premises without their permission.'' But as soon as he saw the guard out of the 'scene', he made good his escape and immediately boarded the Awadh-Assam Express from the New Delhi Railway Station, said the DCP.

''He was caught when he got down at Alipur Dwar, on West Bengal-Asom border, from where his native place was closer than from New Jalpaiguri as thought earlier.'' Investigations revealed that Sikander had no previous criminal record and prior to joining the Grovers he had worked with a doctor in East of Kailash for three months in 2004, Mr Thakur added.

''Hailing from village Amarpur in Jalpaiguri district of West bengal, Sikander has five brothers, of which two work in Yamuna Nagar (Haryana) and another in Bhutan. Other two are unemployed. His father works in a tea garden.'' He had come to Delhi on July 20, was living in Noida and was employed by the Grovers through Green Park based 'Kuber Placement Agency' just four days back before he committed the heinous crime, the DCP added.

Ved Raj Grover, a retired Income Tax Officer, and his wife Vimla (70) were found dead at their East Park residence on Desh Bandhu Gupta Road in Karol Bagh area of Central Delhi on Monday last.

Their house had been ransacked but no valuables taken.

A local court today remanded Sikander to police custody for two days.

UNI AN RP HT1817