Confronted over suspected jewellery theft, a domestic help and her family allegedly strangled her 72-year-old employer to death in Panchkula’s Sector 21 on Monday evening.
The victim has been identified as Neera Mehta, wife of retired army captain Manmohan Lal Mehta.
According to information, the accused Sunita, 50, who had been working for the couple for the last two decades, lived with her family in the servant quarters, located on the top floor of another house a few blocks away from the victim’s residence.
On Monday evening when the victim’s husband was out playing golf, she went to the help’s house to question about some missing jewellery.
The help allegedly allowed her in and let her search the house. After no jewellery was found, a heated argument ensued after which Sunita allegedly strangled the victim.
Sunita’s son, Raja, who was present at home at the time, allegedly tried to intervene but later backed away. The help’s husband, Shankar, a daily wage labourer, allegedly waited downstairs, keeping watch while the crime was being committed. After the murder, the three allegedly wrapped the body in a carpet and shifted it to the terrace of an adjoining house and concealed it beneath floor tiles.
The incident came to light when the victim’s husband returned home after playing golf and found that she was missing. After initially looking for her on his own and making inquiries from neighbours, he approached the police. Suspecting the domestic help’s role, a police team reached their house and found that it was locked from the outside. Suspecting foul play, the officers went to the terrace of the adjoining house to gain entry into the accused’s house. It was then that the team discovered the victim’s body, wrapped in a carpet, on the terrace of the adjoining house.
{{/usCountry}}The incident came to light when the victim’s husband returned home after playing golf and found that she was missing. After initially looking for her on his own and making inquiries from neighbours, he approached the police. Suspecting the domestic help’s role, a police team reached their house and found that it was locked from the outside. Suspecting foul play, the officers went to the terrace of the adjoining house to gain entry into the accused’s house. It was then that the team discovered the victim’s body, wrapped in a carpet, on the terrace of the adjoining house.
{{/usCountry}}Later, police located Sunita and Raja hiding on the roof of another house in Sector 21. Shankar was also nabbed subsequently. Inspector Yashdeep Singh, the station house officer (SHO) of Sector 20 police station, said none of the three accused had any previous criminal record. Police will produce them before a local court on Wednesday and seek their custodial remand for further interrogation.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP, crime) Amrinder Singh said a case under Sections 103(1)(murder), 238(B)(hiding, destroying, or removing crime proof), 3(5)(common intention) and 305 (theft in a dwelling house) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered against the accused.
According to police, no visible external injury marks were found on the victim’s body but the exact cause of death will be confirmed once the post-mortem reports are out.