A failed attempt to enter a 60-year-old man’s house posing as a delivery agent did not deter a group of four who were after ₹1.5 lakh in cash. Hours later, the man’s niece (wife’s sister’s daughter) returned with three associates while his family was at a Janmashtami fair and helped them gain entry, and he was subsequently killed.
The Rohini police have arrested the niece, Simran Taneja (24), primary school teacher, and two other associates identified as Chirag (22), a gym trainer, and a class 12 student in connection with the murder of Rakesh Khanna in Sector 3, Rohini, on Tuesday night (September 1, 2026). Simran’s boyfriend Himanshu is currently absconding.
Speaking to The Hindu, Rohini DCP Shashank Jaiswal said Khanna had recently sold his house and shifted to a rented accommodation in Sector 3. Simran, who was aware that the family had a large amount of cash at the house, planned the burglary.
According to the police, Himanshu first conducted a recce of the house three days before the crime, posing as a delivery agent. He returned in the same guise around 3 p.m. on Tuesday (September 1, 2026), hoping to gain entry. However, the plan failed when Khanna did not open the door, telling him that no order had been placed.
With the delivery-agent ruse failing, Simran came up with another plan.
She visited her aunt and suggested that her mother and aunt, who are sisters, go together to a Janmashtami fair in Paschim Vihar. After the family left, Simran returned early with Chirag and Paras to Khanna’s house, while Himanshu stayed outside to keep watch, the official said.
Inside the house, the three attacked Khanna with a knife and killed him before fleeing with ₹1.5 lakh in cash and two gold rings.
The police said that Simran called her aunt that evening to check if the family had begun their journey back from the fair, ensuring the accused had enough time to execute the plan.
The crime came to light around 7.30 p.m. when Khanna’s wife returned home to find the house in disarray and her husband unconscious.
After receiving the distress call, the Rohini police took Khanna to the hospital, where he was declared dead. His body was sent for a postmortem, and four suspects were arrested around 2 a.m. as they attempted to flee the city.
The police said Simran also tore her clothes with the knife and claimed that the three men had attacked her in an attempt to portray herself as a victim and mislead the police about her involvement in the crime. The police have recovered ₹75,000 in cash and the two gold rings taken from the house.
Further investigation is underway.
