Retired IAS Officer Rakesh Agarwal Found Dead With Throat Slit in Bhopal

Retired IAS officer Rakesh Agarwal, 70, was found dead with his throat slit at his farmhouse in Bhopal's Suraj Nagar area early on Wednesday, 30 September. His wife discovered the body around 6 am after finding her own bedroom door latched from outside. A caretaker, Varun Kumar, hired through a Punjab-based agency on 28 September, is missing and is the prime suspect, police said.

Additional Commissioner of Police Shailendra Chauhan said Kumar's belongings were also missing. Investigators found several almirahs open and the LPG cylinder pipe disconnected, with gas filling the kitchen, suggesting an attempt to set the house on fire. Police have formed multiple teams to trace Kumar and are scanning neighbourhood CCTV footage. Agarwal, a 1982-batch IAS officer who served as Director General of the RCVP Noronha Academy, had been discharged from hospital 20 days ago after treatment for a spinal condition. His son is based in the United States.

Update, 30 September 2026: Hindustan Times on 30 September names the prime suspect as Varun Kumar, hired on 28 September, and reports that the LPG cylinder pipe was cut, filling the house with gas. New Indian Express adds the farmhouse setting and that the nurse was hired three days ago. Both confirm the central details, throat slit, missing caretaker, and open almirahs, already reported by the five earlier sources.