Murder of woman, her three children: Killer knew the area, says Agra police

The Agra police on Friday said they were investigating several motives behind the murder of a 35-year-old woman and her three children. Rekha Rathore (35) and her children were found in a pool of blood in their Fullati Bazar residence on Thursday.

The police said the murderer slit the throats of the four. The woman’s family accused her former husband Sunil Rathore, but the police said they were exploring all aspects.

“At this point, we are investigating all possible angles in the case. It would be premature to say one person is the culprit, till we have established the sequence of events along with evidence. It can, however, be said that the person who carried this out was well versed with the area in which victims resided. He had an entry and exit strategy planned. This also gives us a direction in the case and we hope to make arrests soon,” said Additional Director General, Agra Zone, Rajiv Krishna.

The police said they were alerted about the murders by residents of the Kachu Sadhuram locality after they entered the victims’ house after seeing that the front door was left ajar. The police found the woman and one child bleeding on the floor, while two children lay motionless on a bed. All four were declared dead on arrival in a nearby hospital. The police said they also found some materials in the house that point to witchcraft and black magic.

According to officials, the crime scene resembled that of a robbery since cupboards and drawers were open. Several pairs of slippers, bags, and polyethene were also found.

The police said Rekha had divorced her former husband more than two years ago after nearly 13 years of marriage. Her family claimed she was afraid of Sunil.

“From property dispute to family issues, there are several directions in which we are probing. We have questioned more than 12 people in connection with the case, including the ex-husband. There is phone surveillance being carried out and CCTV footage being examined. Once we have a concrete trail of evidence, we will identify the accused,” said Kotwali Circle Officer Archana Singh.