Retired IAS officer Rakesh Agrawal was found with his throat slit at his residence in Suraj Nagar under Ratibad police station limits early Wednesday morning, with police saying they were investigating the disappearance of a caretaker who had been hired through an agency only days before the murder.

Agrawal’s body was found inside his bedroom at his residence behind Panghat Colony in Suraj Nagar. According to ACP Ankita Khatarkar, the suspected time of the murder was between 2 am and 3 am. A forensic team examined the house and collected evidence as police began reconstructing what happened during the intervening hours.

Agrawal’s wife woke up at around 4 am and found the door of her room latched from the outside, police said. She allegedly called another caretaker, Amar, who helped open the door and found Agrawal lying dead inside with his throat allegedly slit.

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Police say they are now looking closely at Varun Kumar, a caretaker who had been hired through an agency three days earlier as a 24-hour caretaker-cum-male nurse. Kumar, who is reportedly from Punjab, has been missing since the incident. Police suspect he may have fled from the house and have begun efforts to trace him.

Most of his belongings, save for a pair of clothes, were also found missing from the house, officials say.

“The caretaker had been hired through an agency three days ago as a 24-hour caretaker-cum-male nurse. He is currently untraceable and we are trying to establish his movements,” ACP Khatarkar told .

Police, however, have not yet conclusively established Kumar’s role in the murder. Investigators are examining the physical evidence from the house, CCTV footage from the surrounding area and other leads to determine who was inside the premises at the time of the killing and how the person or persons involved left the house.

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The police have also not been able to establish a motive for the murder. “So far, no valuables were missing from the house. Only after the suspect is arrested can we establish what transpired,” the officer said.