The city police on Thursday arrested four persons in connection with the murder of Navraj Kawatra, son of renowned Punjabi literary figure Amrita Pritam.
The police have held four persons, including the personal assistant of Kawatra, her boyfriend and her younger brother, who is just 17.
The crime was allegedly hatched by Vinay Bose (24), who is the boyfriend of Kawatra’s personal assistant Savita Gupta. Bose was in need of money and saw an opportunity to strike it big when his girlfriend informed him that her employer was generous in helping people with money.
Instead of seeking help from Kawatra, Bose chose to rob Kawatra with the help of Savita’s younger brother and his friend Gaurank Khawale (21). On September 14, Bose, Khawale and Savita’s younger brother went to Kawatra’s residence at Borivali in western suburbs of the city. Even as Savita’s brother stood guard outside the house, other two went inside to demand money.
When Kawatra tried to raise an alarm, the duo overpowered the 65-year-old photographer and gagged him before putting him in bounds.
According to the police, they had not come with an intention to murder him. However, they panicked and strangulated him to death. They decamped with `55,000 in cash and a high-end camera. Kawatra, whose wife resides in Delhi, used to live alone in his apartment in Borivali, which also served as his studio. He was a professional photographer, who made portfolios of models and aspiring actors.