A day after a man was arrested for allegedly murdering his sister-in-law in Rohini, her children claimed he had attempted to kill her earlier too.
Kalawati, a resident of Budh Vihar, was allegedly murdered by Ramshankar on Friday. Her dismembered body was recovered from some bushes near Rohini Sector 24.
The accused surrendered at Vijay Vihar police station on Saturday, after which he was arrested.
Kalawati’s eldest daughter Sanjana claimed her uncle would often threaten to kill her mother.
‘Children threatened’
“He had come to our house on Holi armed with a knife. Had it not been for some guests who had come over, he would have killed my mother that day itself,” the 17-year-old alleged, adding that the accused had also threatened to kill her and her two siblings.
Ramshankar, a resident of Begumpur, told the police that he suspected Kalawati, the wife of his younger brother Fugi Lal, of having relationships with other men.
‘Illicit relationships’
He had discussed the matter with her in the past, but she allegedly didn’t mend her ways. To save the family from shame, he decided to kill her, he told the police.
Refuting the allegations, Sanjana said, “My mother did not have any extra-marital affairs. My uncle couldn’t tolerate the fact that she was a working woman. Whenever he visited us, he would scream and threaten my mother.”
On the day of the incident too, Sanjana said she had heard her mother pleading with Ramshankar to let them lead their lives peacefully.
‘Demand for money’
The girl further alleged that Ramshankar killed her mother as she could not pay him ₹2 lakh.
“He wanted the money to settle his debts. But being a factory worker, my mother couldn’t afford to give so much.”
The police said Ramshankar would keep changing jobs and had recently worked as a scrap dealer and a rickshaw puller.