An Australian maths teacher has been allegedly drugged and bashed to death with a baseball bat in what Indian police say was a greed-fuelled murder plot orchestrated by his own family.
Sunil Sharma, 66, a teacher at Melbourne’s Diamond Creek College, had recently travelled to India to sell his properties so he could retire. Instead, police say he was killed by his brother in an elaborate scheme to steal almost $750,000 in assets.
Arrests Made in Punjab
Deep in northern India, Punjab police have paraded four suspects arrested over the brutal killing. The main accused is Satish Sharma, the victim’s own brother, along with his nephew and sister-in-law who are accused of helping cover up the crime.
“When someone kills his own brother out of greed and commits fraud for money, that speaks for itself,” Amritsar senior superintendent of police Kanwalpreet Singh said.
Meticulously Planned Murder
According to investigators, the murder was meticulously planned. “When they took the victim from his house, they gave him sleeping pills,” Singh alleged. “After administering the pills, they struck him on the head with a baseball bat, causing a head injury and killing him.”
The motive, police believe, was Sunil’s properties totalling 50 million Indian rupees. “Satish Sharma, out of greed for money, prepared a forged power of attorney,” Singh continued. “Using that power of attorney, they made deals to sell a house.”
Heartbreaking Search
Sunil was reported missing more than a fortnight ago, prompting a heartbreaking public plea from his daughter. “I’m really, really worried about him,” she said at the time. Her worst fears were realised when the news broke on Indian television.
Sunil was last seen in Amritsar, but police say his body was dumped more than an hour away in a canal. The fourth person arrested is a property dealer. Police are still searching for two others connected to the case.
