Murder-suicide case: Accused had been plotting wife's killing, bought gun 3 months ago, says cop

Amit Agarwal, a 42-year-old chartered accountant, had purchased the firearm, which he used to kill his mother-in-law and himself, sometime in March, but the lockdown probably delayed his plan, he said. A 67-page note that he left behind in his laptop bag revealed that he had thought of using contract killers and even snake venom to eliminate his wife, the officer said.

The man who allegedly killed his estranged wife in Bengaluru and shot dead his mother-in-law in Kolkata before taking own life had been chalking out plans to eliminate his spouse for a while, and had procured a gun illegally three months ago, a senior police officer said. Amit Agarwal, a 42-year-old chartered accountant, had purchased the firearm, which he used to kill his mother-in-law and himself, sometime in March, but the lockdown probably delayed his plan, he said.

A 67-page note that he left behind in his laptop bag revealed that he had thought of using contract killers and even snake venom to eliminate his wife, the officer said. Agarwal likely strangulated his wife, Shilpi, to death inside her flat in Bengaluru. He then cooked food for himself and their 10-year-old son, and stayed there for the night.

The next evening, he returned to Kolkata along with the boy. "It seems Amit had been planning to kill his wife Shilpi for long. Circumstantial evidence hints that he had purchased the illegal firearm from someone in March. But it appears that the announcement of the lockdown delayed his plan," the officer said.

Kolkata police sleuths are trying to find out where he had hidden the firearm. "There is a possibility that he had hidden the firearm at a flat in Manicktala (in north Kolkata). The flat belongs to his wife but Amit had its keys," the officer said.

After reaching Kolkata from Bengaluru, he contacted his friend, who picked up his son from the airport and dropped him at his brother's place. Agarwal took a taxi from the airport and reached Manicktala and it was possible that he might have visited his wife's flat. "We are talking to people in Manicktala and trying to check CCTVs near the location," the officer said.

From there, he reached his in-laws' place at Phoolbagan, a few kilometres away, and allegedly killed his mother-in-law Lalita Dhandhania (60), before taking own life. His father-in-law, Subhas Dhandhania, who managed to escape, had contacted police.

The note that Agarwal left in his laptop bag had been "quite helpful" in the investigation, the senior officer said. "Amit had noted down everything in detail, which has been of help to us. We have also found some information from his mobile phone," the officer added.