A 42-year-old widow and her brother-in-law were found brutally murdered at her rented home in West Delhi’s Vikas Nagar near Ranhola on Saturday morning.
According to a senior police official, the two were attacked repeatedly on their heads with a heavy sharp-edged weapon, probably an axe. Their faces were smashed with a blunt object.
“The entry to the house seemed friendly. The body of the woman, Sunita, was found on the bed in her room. Her distant brother-in-law, Rajesh Kumar, was lying in a pool of blood on the terrace of the building. We suspect the role of someone known to the victims behind the double murder,” said the official.
A case of murder has been registered at the Ranhola Police Station. The case is being investigated from angles of personal enmity or rivalry within the family. “The murders could also be the fallout of a sudden provocation or were committed in a fit of rage,” said a senior investigating officer.
Sunita’s younger daughter Jyoti was living with her mother for the past few weeks. Jyoti was married to a taxi driver in Haryana around one and a half year ago. However, she returned to her mother following a marital discord. She was not present at home at the time of the crime.
Deependra Pathak, joint commissioner of police (southwestern), said the double murder came to fore around 7.15 am when one of the tenants of the house went to the terrace and found Rajesh lying dead and blood scattered around his body.
The tenant, Sachdeva, raised an alarm and informed neighbours about Rajesh’s murder besides calling the police control room and alerting them about the crime. By the time police arrived, neighbours discovered Sunita’s body in her room.
“Sunita had introduced Rajesh to us as her brother-in-law, a Haryana Police staff. She had recently told neighbours that Rajesh worked with Delhi Jal Board. Rajesh often visited the family,” said Sachdeva. Police found Rajesh’s motorcycle parked outside the building. They learnt that he had come to meet Sunita Friday evening.
Sunita is survived by her two daughters and a 15-year-old son, Sheru. Sheru lives with his elder sister, Sonia, who is married in Haryana. Sunita’s husband expired some ten years ago.
“We are probing the double murder from all possible angles. Our teams have certain clues about the suspects and are working on them. Hopefully, the case will be cracked soon,” Pathak added.