The diamond necklace that brought killers to the doorstep of its owner, Uday Raj Singh, was stolen eight years ago when Mr. Singh, then a bank manager, had tried to sell it.
Mr. Singh had then said that the necklace was 400 years old and the diamonds were uncut. A man who had expressed interest in buying it had taken it and fled, but he was caught by the police and the necklace recovered.
The then investigating officer B.B. Ashok Kumar, now retired, had warned Mr. Singh to be cautious, and approach a jeweller if he wanted to sell the necklace.
After years, when Mr. Singh advertised that it was for sale, a group of seven people expressed interest in buying it. While three entered his house, four others kept watch outside. As soon as Mr. Singh handed it to the trio, who had come to his house on Tuesday discuss the deal, they murdered him and attacked his wife Susheela.
It later transpired that the gang had offered Rs. 7 crore for the necklace. “We showed the necklace to experts who estimated that it is worth about Rs. 40 lakh. The gang offered Rs. 7 crore and told Mr. Singh that they planned to sell it in the international market for Rs. 40 crore,” a senior police officer said.
