Retired IAS officer's murder: Caretaker allegedly tried to set house on fire before fleeing

The caretaker suspected of murdering a retired IAS officer here allegedly tried to set his house on fire by disconnecting a gas cylinder pipe and placing it near a switched-on electric iron before fleeing, police said on Thursday.

Varun Kumar, around 33, is the prime suspect in the killing of 70-year-old former bureaucrat Rakesh Agarwal at his Suraj Nagar residence under the Ratibad police station limits.

Kumar had been hired through an agency just three days before the crime to look after Agarwal, who was unwell.

Investigators believe Agarwal was attacked while asleep around midnight on Wednesday, as the crime scene showed no signs of a struggle. Forensic teams found that the gas pipe had been disconnected and placed near an electric iron that was left switched on, suggesting an attempt to trigger a fire after the killing.

Kumar allegedly fled with Agarwal's mobile phone. Police have been tracing his movements through CCTV footage and brief phone signals, which showed him riding a motorcycle with another person before boarding a train at Bhopal railway station at 4.12 am.

He was subsequently traced to Bina railway station in Sagar district and later to Gwalior, police said.

T T Nagar Assistant Commissioner of Police Ankita Khatarkar dismissed media reports that Kumar had been arrested in Agra, saying three to four police teams had been deployed across Madhya Pradesh to trace him.

Police teams are focusing particularly on railway stations as they continue the search for the suspect.

Kumar, a native of Nabha in Punjab's Patiala district, was hired shortly before the incident to care for Agarwal.

The retired officer, a 1982-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, had served as a district collector and principal secretary during his career. He is survived by his wife and a son who lives in the US.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, Agarwal's wife gave him medicine for an ailment around midnight. Kumar was seen outside the couple's sprawling 7,000-8,000 square feet residence around 1 am on Wednesday.

The house did not have CCTV cameras, prompting investigators to examine footage from roads and other locations around the property to reconstruct Kumar's movements and escape route.

Kumar was later seen riding a motorcycle with another person shortly before 3 pm and was subsequently spotted at Bhopal railway station.

Agarwal's funeral will be held on Saturday, family sources said.