NEW DELHI: A 47-year-old property dealer and his servant have been arrested for allegedly murdering the dealer’s wife and dumping her body in the Najafgarh drain.
A nose pin worn by the victim turned out to be a crucial clue that led police to solve the case, officials said on Friday. According to police, preliminary investigations suggest that ongoing familial and financial disputes between the couple were the primary motive behind the crime.
The relationship between the husband and wife had reportedly been strained for some time. The accused have been identified as Anil Kumar, a resident of Dwarka Sector-10, and his domestic help, Shiv Shankar (35), a native of Amethi district in Uttar Pradesh.
On March 15 around 4 pm, police received information about a woman’s body lying in the Najafgarh drain near Nirmal Dham. A team from Chhawla police station rushed to the spot and found the body wrapped in a bedsheet and tied with cable wire and a stone.
A case was registered, and an investigation was launched.
To identify the deceased and track down those involved, police scanned CCTV footage from the area. However, it was the nose pin worn by the victim that eventually led investigators to a breakthrough.
Upon magnifying the hallmark on the nose pin, police traced the manufacturer to South Delhi. Further inquiries helped establish the identity of the deceased as Seema (47), a resident of Dwarka Sector-10. Investigators then apprehended Shankar, who confessed during interrogation that he and Kumar had murdered Seema on March 11 at her residence.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh, the duo wrapped Seema’s body in a bedsheet, secured it with cable wire, and disposed of it in the Sahibi River, also known as the Najafgarh drain. Anil Kumar, who had been absconding since the incident, was later arrested.
The deceased is survived by two children, police said, adding that further investigation into the case is ongoing.
Sources in the police said that Kumar was eventually tracked down and arrested. They also found that Anil was living with another woman in Gurugram and Seema’s family reported her missing at Chhatarpur Police Station days before her body was found.
According to the postmortem report, Seema was killed a few days prior to her body being recovered. Injuries on her face and head indicated a violent struggle before her death.
The couple reportedly had ongoing marital disputes, and police suspect a deeper conspiracy rooted in personal and domestic conflict, police said.