The 52-year-old is facing deportation to India after the boy was stabbed by hitmen
Arti Dhir, 52, was arrested after an Interpol alert and faces a deportation hearing to India on suspicion of child murder.
Arti Dhir was arrested by Interpol and is accused on plotting the murder of her adopted son
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Arti Dhir was arrested by Interpol and is accused on plotting the murder of her adopted son
Indian prosecutors allege Dhir, who worked at Heathrow Airport, was behind the brutal killing of her adopted 12-year-old son Gopal Ajani.
The tragic orphan and his brother-in-law was stabbed to death in an ambush by hitmen on motorbikes in February.
Indian cops claim Dhir, of Hanwell, west London, and former neighbours Nitish Mund and Kanwaljit Raizada, adopted Gopal, in Gujarat, north west India, in 2015.
They are accused of taking out a 10million rupee (£150,000) life insurance policy just days before the orphan and his brother-in-law Harsukh Patel were stabbed to death on a road outside Rajkot.
Cops claim Dhir, who worked as an air freight representative for Worldwide Flight Services, at Heathrow, plotted to pocket the life insurance cash after his death.
Interpol issued a ‘red notice’ for Dhir in April and she was picked up by cops in June despite telling family she was going on holiday.
Dhir is accused along with Nitish Mund and Kanwaljit Raizada
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Dhir is accused along with Nitish Mund and Kanwaljit Raizada
Insp Ashok Tilva, of Gujarat Police, said: “After the adoption formalities of Gopal were completed, they had taken a life insurance of Rs 1.30 crore (£150,000) for the boy.
“The insurance money was to be shared among the three in proportion to the premium they contributed.
“They had also paid two premiums of Rs 13 lakh (£15,000) each.
“From the day Gopal’s life insurance was taken, Nitish began making plans to kill him.
“He hired two contract killers and gave them Rs 5 lakh (£6,000). They tried to eliminate the boy earlier too but could not find a conducive place.”
Dhar faced an extradition hearing at Westminister Magistrates CourtALAMY
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Dhar faced an extradition hearing at Westminister Magistrates Court
Police claimed the trio began plotting the adoption and murder when they met in London in 2015.
Mund and Raizada, both of India, were studying in London when they met Dhir, it is claimed.
Interpol appealed for information after Indian authorities submitted an extradition request to face a murder trial.
Dhir was arrested by The Met’s Extradition Unit on June 29 and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
She remains in custody awaiting a deportation hearing.
A relative, who did not want to be named, said: “We don’t know where she is. She told us she was going on holiday.
“Now we see she is wanted for murder of a 12-year-old boy which is very concerning for us.
The accused worked in an airfreight company at Heathrow AirportGETTY IMAGES - GETTY
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The accused worked in an airfreight company at Heathrow Airport
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“She has been accused of a serious crime but we don’t know what is going on or where she is.
“But the police haven’t been to see any of her family.”
Unmarried Dhir was born in Kenya and moved to Britain in 1974 where she gained citizenship, her family revealed.
A neighbour in Hanwell said Dhir had disappeared from her housing association flat in June which is now empty.
The neighbour said: “I haven’t seen her since she was named by Interpol. The guy who used to live with her and she left.
"Two months ago I asked where she was and he told me she had gone.
“I haven’t seen any police. We don’t know where she is. I know she is wanted for murder I saw her on the Interpol website.
“He told us that she had gone to live in Hounslow but we don’t believe a word of that. No one lives there anymore.”
An Interpol spokesman said: “The Red Notice was published in April and is still valid.
“The Indian authorities are leading the enquiry.”
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