NEW DELHI: On Friday evening, around 6pm, 62-year-old Rakesh Sood and his son, 27-year-old Karan, left their office in Kalkaji and headed home, as they did every day. Around 6.30pm, Karan dropped his father off at the entrance of their building in Alaknanda’s Tara Apartments and drove ahead to park the car nearby, unaware of the violence about to unfold.Asad Siddiqui, a neighbour, allegedly lay in wait before launching a brutal attack on Rakesh, stabbing him repeatedly from behind. The assault triggered panic and drew Rakesh’s 36-year-old nephew Rohit to the scene. As he tried to intervene, Rohit was also allegedly slashed and left with stab injuries on his upper arm.
Sequence of events
Hearing the commotion, Karan rushed back to protect his father, but was overpowered and allegedly stabbed five to six times in the back of his head. Speaking to TOI,the family said he was then allegedly hurled over the railing of the open staircase, crashing a few feet below and lying unconscious in a pool of blood. Rakesh, grievously injured, was brought down the staircase and made to sit as he bled, waiting for help to arrive.According to the family, Karan had taken a high-interest loan from Siddiqui months ago without informing them. When he learnt about this, Rakesh had reportedly repaid the amount after negotiating the interest, which allegedly triggered a dispute, as Siddiqui was unhappy with the reduced payment. Sitting outside the AIIMS mortuary on Saturday, Rajesh Sood, Rakesh’s 66-year-old elder brother, said, “Siddiqui operates as a financier, his mother is a lawyer.”Another friend recalled that the two sides had a heated altercation five-six months ago, though the reason remained unclear to him. While some claims suggested a long-standing enmity over a parking dispute, the family denied this.The Soods are survived by Rakesh’s 56-year-old wife, Madhu, and daughters Kanika (32), a lawyer, and Kanishka (28), a chartered accountant. Originally from Shimla, the family has been settled in Delhi for generations and has worked as property businessmen, largely on the investment side, for decades. They have been living at Tara Apartments since around 2008. Rohit, the son of Rakesh’s sister, is visiting from Shimla.“Karan was the youngest. The two never fought with anyone and were always kind to those around them. This is shocking,” said Rajendra Negi, a 50-year-old close family friend. Both were known to be devoted caregivers to Madhu, who has been battling a neurological illness. A 44-year-old colleague said, “They always went out of their way to help others. Rakeshji was soft-spoken and respected by everyone, and Karan carried the same kindness. It’s hard to believe something like this could happen to them.”Locals and family members claimed the victims were taken to a nearby nursing home in a resident’s car. The family alleged that the nursing home denied them emergency treatment, citing a lack of facilities to handle grievous injuries, leading to critical delays and heavy blood loss for nearly half an hour. They were declared brought dead at another hospital.
