A 28-year-old woman was murdered in front of her two small sons allegedly by her elder brother in northwest Delhi’s Outram lines slums near Mukherjee Nagar in the early hours of Sunday.
According to police, the accused, who has been arrested, entered his sister’s room in an inebriated condition around 1 am and thrust open the door with his leg.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Vijay Singh said the man killed the woman by inserting a rolling pin (belan) in her mouth and pressing her neck with his foot. Police suspect that the man had gone to his sister’s room with an intention to sexually assault her but when she resisted he lost his temper and in a fit of rage killed her.
On Sunday, the brother-sister duo, identified as Premu and Madhuri, entered into an argument after Premu returned home in an inebriated condition. During the argument, Premu pinned down his sister and picked up a rolling pin lying nearby, even as her elder son seven-year-old Subhash, begged him not to hurt his mother.
Madhuri’s younger son, lucky, 3, was also present in the room at the time of incident.
A police officer said Madhuri had been living at her brother’s home with her children after she left her husband over marital discord two years ago. She worked as a domestic help in the residential colonies nearby.
Premu, who works as a street hawker, too was living a bachelor’s life as his wife also left him because of his drinking habit and domestic violence.
On Saturday evening, Premu left home telling his sister that he will return late. Madhuri went to sleep with her children to a room on the first floor. Premu consumed alcohol with his brother-in-law, Ram Babu, at his home and returned home around midnight.
“When Madhuri found him drunk, she scolded him. This enraged Premu and he murdered her in a fit of rage before fleeing the crime scene. The accused fled to his brother-in-law’s home in Kingsway Camp and again consumed alcohol,” the officer said.
Around 7 am, Subhash told the neighbours that his mother was lying unconscious. The neighbours went to the room and found Madhuri dead.
They immediately called police and a team rushed to the spot. Madhuri was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared her brought dead.
“A case of murder was registered and Premu has been arrested. Both the children are eyewitnesses to the crime. Further investigations are on in the case. We are also probing honour killing angle behind the murder,” said the officer.