This could be the first incident of its kind where the mastermind auditioned henchmen before carrying out a murder. One had to understand this bewildering crime's plot from the start to make any sense of the situation.
On February 20, 2024, Rakesh Varshney, a property dealer from Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, left his home for work, never to return. His family waited initially, but when he failed to return and his phone was switched off, they contacted his business partner, Raju Upadhyay. As a daily acquaintance of Rakesh, Raju was shocked at this mysterious disappearance and began a concerted search with the family.
Raju recounted multiple calls to Rakesh, all of which returned 'not reachable.' His friend's disappearance was reported to the police, but before they could locate Rakesh, threatening calls were received at his family home. The mysterious callers claimed to have kidnapped Rakesh and warned of his murder if the police were informed—naturally terrifying his relatives.
As the search continued, no new calls came, and Rakesh remained missing, adding to the family's fears. The case reached the police, who placed the threatening phone numbers under surveillance. However, each number used for calling Rakesh’s family was already switched off—thwarting the police investigation.
A murder had taken place, but the perpetrators risked exposure during the police investigation. Thus, Raju disguised his involvement, even held auditions for henchmen to muddle up the details and create multiple false narratives leading away from the truth. Raju chose individuals with authoritative voices to convincingly threaten Rakesh's family over the phone. The deception proved so effective that it took the Ghaziabad police four months to connect Raju Upadhyay, Anuj Garg, Krishna Agarwal, and Harish Sharma to the murder. The motive, the method, and the location of Rakesh’s body, however, remained elusive.
Source: aajtak
The plot thickened irresistibly as the police delved into Raju's records. On February 20, the day of Rakesh’s disappearance, Raju and Rakesh’s phone location trails were found together in various locations of Ghaziabad and Delhi. The police, on suspicion, brought in Raju for questioning. Initially evasive, Raju eventually cracked, admitting to orchestrating Rakesh's disappearance and, shockingly, his murder. Raju disclosed that he murdered Rakesh on February 20 and discarded the body in the Ganges canal near Ghaziabad.
Source: aajtak
The investigation unearthed the seeds of betrayal, rooted in a property worth approximately 20 crore rupees. Rakesh had trusted Raju with the power of attorney to sell a property in Moradabad. Blinded by greed, Raju plotted Rakesh's elimination, meticulously planning a murder that would leave little suspicion on him.
Source: aajtak
As this macabre play unfolded, Ghaziabad police later managed to trace the pillar of the entire plan to Raju Upadhyay—Rakesh's friend turned foe. With the motive clear and the evil machinations of Raju laid bare, the horrific tale of deception and cold-blooded murder finally resolved.
Source: aajtak
In a chilling turn of events, the formerly trusted friend, Raju Upadhyay, was unmasked as the assassin. The question remained: why did he resort to murder? Why did he continue the charade of looking for Rakesh? The unfolding of answers riveted the community as Ghaziabad police unraveled the complex conspiracy and announced the successful closure of the case.
