Anirban Gupta, who has been charged with the murder of businessman Bhavya Lakhani, was earlier a medical representative and would meet medicine wholesalers as part of his job, police said.
The 38-year-old, however, is said to have lost his job but pretended to Lakhani that he was working for a reputable pharmaceutical firm.
“Investigations so far suggest that Bhavya Lakhani usually placed small orders for his medical business. It was only late last year that he invested a large amount, Rs 50 lakh, at one go for medicines,” said an investigator.
He said Lakhani paid the amount, through multiple cheques, to Gupta before Durga Puja last year.
“The medicines for which Lakhani paid such a huge sum were never delivered. Lakhani trusted the man (Gupta) with his money,” the investigator said.
The police said Gupta led a “flashy life”.
“He had no intention to return the money to Bhavya Lakhani. For that, he made an elaborate plan, which included donating cricket bats and wickets to a local club. The same bats and wickets were used in the murder. He also hired a mason who would seal the chamber under the water tank, on the terrace of his house in Nimta, with bricks and mortar after placing the body inside,” said an officer.
The police said they were trying to find out whether more people were involved in the crime.
An officer involved in the probe said the money Lakhani had paid was transferred to multiple bank accounts.
“We are verifying details of the account-holders,” said the officer.
Gupta had allegedly opened an email account in the name of the company where he once worked and sent a mail to Lakhani saying the Rs 50 lakh that the businessman had invested had been refunded, the police said.
After Lakhani’s death, Gupta allegedly accessed the victim’s phone and responded to the email confirming the receipt of the money.
“It is clear that it was a pre-planned murder,” one of the investigators said.
Gupta’s wife, a teacher in a school, is said to have told the police that she was unaware of the crime.
The police said the investigation till Thursday had revealed that his wife was at her workplace when Gupta allegedly killed Lakhani at their house with the assistance of his accomplice, Suman Das.
“There is nothing specific against the accused person’s wife yet. Everyone related to this case will be questioned,” said a senior officer at the city police headquarters in Lalbazar.
