New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) Three men have been arrested for the abduction and murder of a 28-year-old Delhi-based hotel owner who was found dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, police said on Wednesday.

Ankit (26), Sahil (26), and Monu alias Bacardi (23) were nabbed and produced before a court on April 8 and remanded to police custody for further investigation.

Another suspect, Amit, is still on the run, they said.

According to the police, the victim, Sagar Chouhan was killed by his former employers — Amit, Ankit and Sahil — after he left them to start his own venture in January.

Chouhan, along with his brother, used to work with the three men in a hotel leasing business, they said.

The businessman was reported missing on March 27 after he left his hotel in Tilak Nagar but never reached home.

“Prima facie it appears that the accused killed Sagar after he left their business and started working on his own. Sagar’s growth made them envious, who had also previously warned him to not start something of his own or else he will be killed,” a senior police officer said.

Following suspicions raised by his family, a case of abduction was registered at Tilak Nagar Police Station on March 30, he added.

During the investigation, police launched a manhunt to trace Sagar and the suspects, who were also missing since the kidnapping. Multiple raids were carried out across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

On April 2, police received information that an unidentified body was found in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli on March 27. The family identified it as Chouhan from the photographs, confirming that he was murdered the same night he went missing.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the crime and revealed that Sagar had sustained bullet injuries caused by them and Amit, the officer said.

The motive behind the killing and the sequence of events are being probed, officials added.

Sagar, a native of Sonipat, Haryana, had previously worked for Amit and others but had parted ways with them a few months ago. PTI SSJ NB