A WhatsApp status, a reply two hours later — and a murder in the interim

In the lane opposite the one where Rajesh’s two-storey home is located, his relatives were gathered, aghast and impatient, waiting for their turn to see the bodies of their loved ones.

Inside the house, local police, Crime Branch and Special Cell officers, along with a forensic team, inspected the crime scene, and also questioned Arjun who would later be charged with killing his parents and elder sister.

Rajesh, a former Armyman, was serving as a personal security officer to a businessman at Sainik Farms. He retired as Naik Subedar in 2007 and was living in his house in Devli village, Neb Sarai, for the last 10 years. Komal was a homemaker.

His daughter Kavita was a taekwondo black belt. She had recently contacted a neighbour to find out about the civil services exam.

“Rajesh had taken a plot at Harsaru village in Gurgaon, and wanted to build a home there and shift after Arjun and Kavita got settled,” said Dharmender, Deepak’s brother.

Police officers said there were no signs of forced entry into the house and all locks were intact at the time of the investigation, which pointed towards the house being locked after the murders were committed.

Sube Singh, Rajesh’s paternal cousin, said that only he and his family members had the keys to the house. “He had never mentioned any enmity or tension,” he added.
Saurav, who lives in the same neighborhood as the family of the deceased, said Kavita was thinking of preparing for UPSC. “I used to teach both Arjun and Kavita back when they were in school. Right now, I am preparing for UPSC and Kavita had come to ask me about it as she was also thinking of appearing for the same.”

He added that he recently spoke to Rajesh as well. “We used to talk frequently. Even after retiring, uncle (Rajesh) used to work out a lot. Every morning, he and Arjun would work out together on their roof,” said Saurav.