House help murder case: Accused doctor sent to two-day police custody

A Delhi court on Friday sent a 50-year-old dermatologist, accused of killing his domestic help at his upscale south Delhi residence, to two days’ police custody.

The doctor has admitted his guilt during interrogation, according to officials.

Judicial Magistrate Anurag Chhabra heard the Delhi Police plea seeking two-day custody of the accused and allowed it.

According to police, Dr Manish Gupta allegedly killed his domestic help, Meena, at his residence on Thursday morning by bludgeoning her with a cricket bat and stabbing her multiple times. He allegedly suspected her of practising black magic and held her responsible for persistent discord in his family.

Delhi Police sought Dr Gupta’s custody, contending that they need to investigate if other people were also involved and to find new facts in the case.

Opposing the plea, defence counsel submitted before the court that the accused has been in police custody for the past 24 hours. “Everything has been seized by the police; he has been in police custody for the last 24 hours. He is already suffering from depression, and he is a well-reputed doctor,” he argued.

According to police, the accused is on antidepressants and allegedly attacked his 45-year-old domestic help on his terrace. He was found standing near the blood-soaked body when police arrived and allegedly confessed to the killing.

Police said the exact motive behind the murder at the doctor’s Mount Kailash house is yet to be conclusively established, and all angles, including disputes within his family and his mental state, are being examined.

Police received a PCR call at around 11.36 am from a resident who reported that a woman had been murdered on the terrace of a neighbouring building and was lying in a pool of blood.

The accused was immediately apprehended and taken into custody. During preliminary questioning, he allegedly admitted that he had first assaulted Meena with a bat and then stabbed her with a knife. Police have seized both the bat and the knife from the spot.

However, investigators said the accused has claimed during questioning that he believed Meena practised black magic and that her presence in the house had disturbed peace within the family.

According to sources, the doctor had wanted to remove Meena from employment for the past two to three years, but his wife was opposed to the move. This reportedly became a recurring source of tension within the family.

Investigators are also examining whether prolonged domestic disputes, marital discord and the accused’s mental health condition may have played a role in the killing.

Sources said the accused was undergoing treatment for depression and was on anti-depressant medication. Police are verifying his medical history and consulting family members as part of the investigation.

The accused’s wife is also a doctor and works as an Ayurvedic dermatologist, while their son, aged around 20 years, recently passed class 12, sources said.

Police are trying to determine whether any argument took place before the murder and whether other family members were present in the house at the time.

According to locals and domestic workers, screams were heard from the terrace shortly before the incident came to light.