GHAZIABAD: A 70-year-old woman was allegedly bludgeoned to death inside her house in
Ghaziabad on Thursday. The woman has been identified by police as
Sharda Devi, a widow, who lived with the family of her younger son, Santosh, in Kalkagarhi.
Police said Sharda Devi had died from injuries sustained upon her head presumably from a blunt object. The woman’s body was found inside her room on the ground floor of the building.
According to family members, Sharda Devi was alone at home at the time of the incident. Her body was found by Mamta, her neighbour when she returned home from the market at around 5 pm.
“Santosh had gone outside for work. My kids, who had left for their tuitions at around 2 pm, were yet to return. I left home around 4 pm to buy vegetables. Sharda Devi suffered from bouts of coughing frequently call me out for something or the other. I suspected something amiss when I did not hear her voice for several minutes after returning home. When I turned the lights on inside her room, I found her lifeless body lying semi-naked on the floor. Her face had been smashed beyond recognition. I immediately called neighbours for help,” Mamta told TOI.
Police have ruled out loot or robbery as a motive behind the murder. The only items that were inside the woman’s room were a gas stove and a pan. The body has been sent for a post-mortem. Police sources said a pressure cooker that was found inside her room could have been used to smash her head.
Ghaziabad police were yet to register an FIR in the matter at the time that this report was being filed.
“The woman had sustained deep wounds over her left eye with a blunt object. There were hardly any valuables at home and robbery doesn’t seem to be a motive. Chances of the murder have taken place over a sexual assault are slim but we are exploring this angle. Family members are being questioned,” Sihani Gate circle officer,
Atish Singh, told TOI.
Picture for representational purpose only.