The man who killed a 75-year-old jeweller in Modinagar in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad has been identified as Ankit Gupta. On Thursday (December 4), Gupta barged into the jewellery shop, Girdhari Lal & Sons Jewellery, at around 8:30 am and stabbed its owner, Girdhari Lal, almost 10 times. Lal died within seconds. He reportedly went into the shop with the motive to carry out robbery.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Gupta pursued Master of Computer Applications (MCA) and had a YouTube channel with over 6,000 followers. Gupta, a bike taxi rider, lived in the same area, but last month his family relocated to a different area, reported The Times of India, quoting the police as saying.
The assailant was reportedly under financial stress as he had lost ₹20 lakh in online gaming and shares. Lal used to open his jewellery shop early as compared to other outlets in the area. The accused reportedly followed Lal's routine for around a week and knew exactly at what time he used to open his shop.
On the day of the incident, Gupta, wearing a monkey cap, barged into Lal's shop and first threw red chilli powder on his face. He then stabbed him multiple times, killing him within seconds. Notably, Gupta had covered his face. Hearing the commotion, Lal's son, Rupendra Soni, rushed towards the shop and tried to overpower the assailant. Gupta took out the gun and managed to slip from Soni's hands. However, other locals present in the area chased and caught him within 30 metres from the jewellery shop, reported TOI.
The assailant was later handed over to the police. The incident created panic in the area. Notably, Lal had also owned three other jewellery shops.
The police investigation indicated that Gupta went into the jewellery shop with the intention of stealing jewellery. "He had planned the robbery around a week in advance. After attacking Lal, he had planned to grab the jewellery on display in a bag that he was carrying. It seems he hadn't anticipated that Soni or anyone would arrive so quickly," ACP Modinagar Amit Saxena said, as quoted by the media house.
In the investigation, it was also revealed that the accused watch heist videos on YouTube before killing Lal.
