20-yr-old held for IT exec’s murder: ‘needed money to make portfolio ’

Out of pocket,Jetley needed the money to make a modelling portfolio,as also his rent and other bills,according to his confession.

He was arrested from Alaknanda in South Delhi on Wednesday,a week after he allegedly killed Kaur — her body was found two days later,on July 31.

Both came from Ludhiana,and Jetley (also known as Honey) knew Kaur through his elder brother,now based in Australia,an officer said.

Post-murder,Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Shalini Singh said,one of Kaur’s friends told police that she had spoken with Kaur on the morning of July 28. She told police that Kaur had told her about a friend called “Honey” (or Jetley) who was to come to her flat later that day to return a cellphone sim card.

“We then set out to find Honey,” DCP Singh said. “As we followed him,the trail kept establishing him as the murderer.”

An officer said Jetley has told the police that he had borrowed money from Kaur on previous occasions and that she was not willing to lend any more.

As the conversation turned into a row,Jetley took an iron rod lying nearby and threatened her,the officer said. Scared for her life by then,Kaur reportedly passed on her Standard Chartered Bank ATM card and gave him the PIN — all the while pleading with Jetley not to hurt her. “But the accused felt she would tell the police and so decided to kill her,” the officer said. According to the police,he hit Kaur first with the rod and then covered her face with a quilt and sat on her chest to choke her to death.

Kaur was dead within minutes.

Locking her flat’s door from outside,Jetley reportedly fled with her ATM card,laptop,ipod and some other gadgets.

That evening,the officer said,Jetley took his girlfriend out for shopping,movies and dinner after withdrawing Rs 30,000 from Kaur’s account. The officer added that his girlfriend had no knowledge of the crime.

He allegedly fled to Ludiana the following day but soon returned to the Capital and began appearing for auditions in reality TV shows. The police,who followed him to Ludhiana,found Kaur’s laptop with one of Jetley’s friends,who told the police team that it belonged to a friend who wanted it repaired.

The officer said Jetley wanted to become a model and had come to the city and joined a modelling institute. He needed money urgently since he wanted to make a portfolio,the officer added.