Two days after an elderly woman was found dead with a cloth tied around her neck, two men and a woman have been held in connection with the case on Wednesday.

The police said that the woman was murdered by robbers who decamped with the jewellery she was wearing and some more jewellery and cash which were kept in an almirah.

The police received a call around 1.30 p.m. on Monday about a woman’s murder at her house in Rohini Sector 16. The deceased, Geeta Saxena, was strangulated with a dupatta. Her house was found ransacked and some cash and jewellery were also found missing.

The police said that there was no sign of a forced entry at the house. An FIR under charges of murder and robbery was registered at K.N. Katju Marg police station, said the police.

Additional Commissioner of Police Rajiv Ranjan said that on Tuesday, a Crime Branch team received a tip-off regarding suspects who might be involved in the murder.

“A trap was laid and two persons, identified as Sumit and Vikas, were arrested from Rohini sector 24,” said Mr. Ranjan.

During interrogation they admitted to their involvement in the crime. Some of the looted jewellery and ₹7,000 in cash were recovered at their instance. The accused, along with one Ashu and another woman accomplice had planned to rob Geeta. The woman accomplice was in urgent need of money. Geeta, on the other hand, had spend a lot of money on her daughter’s marriage recently. The accused woman hoped there was cash in the house. She and Sumit hatched and discussed the plan and roped in other into the conspiracy later.

“As per their plan, the woman would visit Geeta’s house and send a signal to Sumit through a missed call if the elderly woman was alone in the house. The accused looted the house, but things went out of hand when the victim resisted. They then strangulated her before fleeing with her ornaments, cash and some jewellery from the house,” said Mr. Ranjan.

“At the instance of the arrested accused, the woman was later apprehended from Rohini Sector 18 on Wednesday. She also confessed to having been involved in the crime. Ashu is absconding. Efforts are being made to nab him as well.

It was revealed that the accused woman was aware of the fact that Geeta mostly used to be alone at her flat during the day as her kids had grown up and her husband (an autodriver) returned home only at night.