Senior citizen murdered inside home

A 67-year-old woman found murdered inside her residence in south Delhi’s Gulmohar enclave on Monday evening, the police said.

The victim, Usha Devi, was found dead inside the DDA flat with injuries on her forehead and wounds on her neck, they added.

The house was found to be ransacked, the police said, adding that the possibility of a robbery has not been ruled out.

Some detained

A few people have been detained for questioning, sources said.

Ms. Devi used to live with her husband Ajay Kumar, a retired CPWD architect and their 36-year-old daughter who works at a private firm in south Delhi. Mr. Kumar was out for an evening walk during the incident, the police said.

The murder was discovered by her daughter who returned from work and found Ms. Devi lying in a pool of blood. Following this, she informed the police, they said.

“A case of murder has been registered at the Hauz Khas police station based on the daughter’s statement. A probe is on to look for the accused,” Romil Baaniya, DCP (South) said.

The police said that they received a call around 5 p.m. from the flat number 166 stating that a woman was lying unconscious inside the house.

On reaching the spot, they found that Ms. Devi had severe injuries on her forehead and neck. The entry to the house was found to be friendly, the police said, adding that it seems that the victim was attacked after a heated argument.

Probe suggests that the killer might have used a heavy object to break the locks of the three almirahs in the bed room and ransack the contents to look for something. Two box beds were kept overturned, they added.

Family members have told the police that they had two household helpers who came to work twice a day. A security guard was present at the gate when the incident had happened.

The police, however, suspect that someone known to family might be involved in the murder since no one had noticed a suspicious movement in the colony.

They are counselling the woman’s daughter to retrieve more information about the incident.

The CCTV footage from the area is being scanned to get hints on the killer, who the police suspect might have fled by climbing over a wall.

The family has been staying at the DDA flat for the past 15 years, the neighbours said.

The elderly citizens were also registered with the the Delhi Police. The body has been sent for an autopsy to find out the cause of death.