The juvenile apprehended on Monday for killing the elderly couple in south Delhi stayed with the bodies for 24 hours, played an online multiplayer battle royale game the whole time and ate the food kept in the refrigerator, the police said. The accused also tried to conceal the stench with mothballs.

His mother, who worked as a masseuse in the building and planned the crime, was also arrested.

The juvenile, who claims that he is six months short of turning 18 years, had sneaked inside the couple’s flat with the help of his mother.

Strangulated both

He killed 78-year-old Virender Kumar Khaneja five hours after strangling his 72-year-old wife Sarla Khaneja on January 18.

The juvenile told the police during interrogation that he had visited the apartment several times earlier with his mother and was aware of the security measures in place.

“He tried to evade CCTV cameras by wearing a black cap while entering and leaving the apartment. However, security guards and other housekeeping staff helped the police identify the juvenile,” said DCP (South-East) Chinmoy Biswal.

He strangulated Sarla around 3.30 p.m. on January 18 and waited for her husband, before killing Virender around 8.30 p.m. After the murders, he shifted the bodies to a room located in one corner of the flat. “He searched the house for mothballs after the murders. He found some and scattered them around the bodies to conceal the stench. He ate the food kept in the refrigerator before spending the night in a different room in the flat. He claimed he did not sleep the whole time he was in the flat but kept playing an online multiplayer battle royale game to pass time before leaving the around 11 a.m. the next day,” said a police officer.

He told the police that he spent the night in the flat as he was aware of the neighbours’ movements and was afraid of getting caught. He shut the wooden door, which has an automatic lock, and locked the main gate with spare keys to make it look like the house was locked from inside, the police said. The minor left the building with a backpack, they said.

“The CCTV footage shows the youth with the black cap entering the apartment empty-handed leaving the next day with a backpack. That is why we suspected his involvement. He also took away the couple’s mobile phones and bank cards. He wanted to change their passwords with the help of OTPs received on their mobile phones,” said Mr. Biswal.

A constable had on January 15 visited Virender and got a water pipeline fixed. The next visit, scheduled the following week, was delayed due to Republic Day security arrangements in the city, said a police officer.

The police said 521 senior citizens in Amar Colony are enrolled with the Delhi Police Senior Citizen Cell.