A high-end smartphone & a murder: Police arrest Gujarat man who killed his friend to steal a mobile

A 43-year-old man was arrested on Sunday for allegedly murdering his friend to steal his high-end smartphone in Gujarat's Kutch district.

Rahul Gaud, 32, was found dead near a canal behind Arihant Nagar in Anjar on February 7. Police investigations led to the arrest of Gaud's friend and neighbour, Indrajitsinh Gurjar, who was questioned about the incident. During the inquiry, Gurjar revealed that a third person, Dheeraj Kumar from Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, was also involved in the crime.

Gaud, who was employed at a local Di pipe plant, lived with his wife Pooja, who works in the advanced textiles section of a company. The couple has two daughters.


According to the complaint filed by Pooja, Gaud left for work at 7 am on February 6, while she also went to her job. At 8 pm that evening, she spoke to Gaud, who told her he was buying some items from the market. But when Gaud did not return by 11 pm, and his phone was unreachable, Pooja grew concerned. She contacted Gurjar, who had been with the children, but her husband was still missing. Unable to locate him, Pooja began her own search, but found no trace of Gaud.

The police later found an unidentified body near the canal, which was later confirmed to be Gaud’s.

Ajaysinh Gohil, the investigation officer, said the police gathered CCTV footage from the area around Gaud’s home and the crime scene. The footage revealed Gurjar escorting Gaud out of his house.

Further questioning of Gurjar revealed a chilling motive. Gurjar admitted that he and Kumar had plotted to murder Gaud to steal his Samsung Ultra S3 smartphone. Gurjar confessed that after Gaud returned home from work, he lured him to the canal, where they talked. During this exchange, Gurjar fatally stabbed Gaud three times in the neck.

After the murder, Gurjar returned home and acted as though he was part of the search efforts, maintaining a facade of innocence while Pooja desperately looked for her husband.

Pooja, 31, had originally filed a complaint with the Anjar police under section 103 (1) of the BNS Act, naming unknown persons. The police have since arrested Gurjar, and the investigation continues.

Gaud, originally from Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, has left behind his family, including his wife and two young daughters.

(With inputs from ToI)