A 70-year-old man was strangled and his wife badgered to death in the Kohat Enclave area of northwest Delhi, with their night attendant, who joined three days ago, missing, police said on Tuesday.
The victims were identified as Mohinder Singh, a readymade garment shop owner, and his wife Diljeet Kaur, an officer said. The bodies of the couple, who lived alone, were found in a decomposing state.
The couple has two sons, who live near their house, and a daughter. They hadn’t been to their parents for the last three days and did not know about their deaths incident, till they were told by a driver.
Police sources said that Mohinder Singh had not been keeping well for the last few months and was being taken care of by an attendant, Ravi. Three days ago, Ravi, a resident of Uttam Nagar, proposed his replacement as he was taking leave. The man, who the family had never met, was hired as a fill-in. “Singh was first strangled with an oxygen pipe and his wife was hit with an iron rod,” a police source said.
Another officer said that a PCR call was received on Tuesday at Subhash Place police station regarding a foul smell emanating from a house. “Upon reaching House No 317 in Kohat Enclave, police found the bodies of the elderly couple lying in separate rooms on the third floor of the building,” the officer said.
The state of decomposition suggested they had been dead for about two or three days, he said. Mohinder Singh was last seen alive around 8 pm on Sunday.
Police also discovered that an attempt had been made to break open a locker inside the house. A hunt has been launched for the missing attendant and a case filed. Police are also trying to nab Ravi, who hired the replacement, he said.
While talking to media, Charanpreet Singh, a son of the couple, said that on Tuesday, their driver rang the bell of his parent’s house, but no one responded.
“We live nearby. The driver informed us that my parents were not opening the door. My wife went there and saw my father’s body lying on the bed. My mother’s body was found in another room,” Charanpreet Singh said. He said the latest attendant had been hired only three days ago.
“We have provided all the details of the accused to the police. We have also checked CCTV footage and got to know that he left the house early in the morning two days ago with a backpack,” Mohinder said, adding, he was yet to know what had been taken from the house.
The incident comes a day after a Delhi University professor, his wife, and their house help were tied up by robbers in a daylight heist at their northwest Delhi residence. Police said three to four men forced themselves inside the house Aggarwal in Ashok Vihar and tied up the occupants.
The matter was reported to police at 11.45 am, with the caller alleging the robbers took off with gold ornaments and other valuables in Aggarwal’s car.
