Two days later, the scribe's body was found in the bathroom of his Jor Bagh home. There were stab wounds on the neck and under the ribs. He had been strangled with a vest and a wire. The box beds in Rattan's room had been rummaged through and the mattresses were overturned. However, the police ruled out robbery on day one and said that the killers probably wanted to keep the body in the boxes. Moreover, Rattan's ring, which was worth around Rs 50,000, was still on his finger. The almirahs had not been broken open or even ransacked. All his papers seemed intact and all the gadgets were in their place. The police also found his passbook and various fixed deposit receipts, but his wallet was missing.

The missing wallet was the only clue that led a group of policemen to continue probing the robbery angle, even as the major thrust of the investigations remained questioning of friends and relatives. The cutting of the AC wires also appeared to be the handiwork of a professional.

All persons with a criminal record in the Defence Colony Police Station area were questioned. DCP (South) Pradeep Srivastav told Express Newsline: ``The breakthrough came when head constable Iqramuddin of Lodhi Colony Police Station pointed out that two criminals who posed as electricians to enter houses were arrested recently from the same police station.''

Investigations zeroed in on Mahmood Ali, alias Sher Ali, living in Nizamuddin basti, who had been recently released from jail. Ali broke down during sustained interrogation and confessed to his crime. He is a previous convict with a record of 25 cases registered at different police stations.

In his confessional statement, the accused said that he and his friend Akhter happened to be in the area carrying electrical gadgets, when Rattan asked them if they could repair his AC's switch board and a tube-light. The duo agreed. After inspecting the tube-light, they pointed out that the choke was defective. Rattan took out Rs 150 from his wallet and asked Akhter to get a choke from the market. When the accused noticed a bundle of notes inside Rattan's purse, they decided to tie him up and make off with the money.When Rattan went to the toilet, Ali and Akhter cut the wire connected to the air conditioner and tried to overpower the former in the toilet itself.

They, however, could not tie him up properly as the wire was thick and Rattan put up stiff resistance. Akhter used a baniyan lying in the bathroom to strangle Rattan, the latter then kicked him hard on the nose. This, apparently, infuriated him and he stabbed Rattan a number of times. In the process, Ali received injuries on the knee. The accused then took the money out of the purse and left the premises when they could not locate any other valuables.

They reportedly went off to Yamuna Pushta and bought smack. They also washed the blood stains off their shoes in the Pushta. The accused found Rs 7,200 in the purse. Ali kept Rs 4,000 with him and gave the rest to Akhter. The duo then left for Mathura. Akhter proceeded to his home in Patna from Mathura, while Ali returned to his jhuggi in the Capital.

The electrical gadgets which the accused used to disguise themselves as electricians have been seized. A team has already been sent to Bihar to nab Akhter. Head constable Iqramuddin, has been recommended for Ashadharan Karya Purashkar.