Retd IAS officer killed in Bhopal home, assailant left LPG line open: Police

A 70-year-old retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Rakesh Agarwal, was murdered at his residence in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal’s Surajnagar area on Wednesday morning, sparking a manhunt for a newly hired caretaker who has gone missing after the attack, police said.

Agarwal was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon on the neck.

Shailendra Chauhan, additional commissioner of police (Addl CP) Bhopal, said Agarwal’s caretaker, Varun Kumar, was the prime suspect.

“Kumar has been missing since the incident and his belongings were also not found in the house. He was hired just two days ago, on September 28, through a Punjab-based placement agency,” Chauhan said.

Investigators also found signs of an attempt to set the house on fire. The LPG cylinder pipe in the kitchen had been disconnected and the premises was filled with gas when officers arrived.

A senior police officer said Agarwal’s wife woke up around 5.30 am and was leaving for her morning walk when she found the main door locked from the outside. “She called another domestic help, Rajan Thapa, and then went to Agarwal’s room, where she found his body lying on the floor. She immediately informed the police,” the officer said.

Police said several almirahs in the house were found open, suggesting that robbery may have been a motive.

Multiple police teams have been deployed to trace Kumar, and authorities are currently contacting the Punjab agency that placed him.