Delhi: Burglar kills 86-year-old woman in Rani Bagh

Police said that the control room got a call at 7.16pm on Tuesday from Chander’s son, who said his grandmother was injured and bleeding. When police reached the spot, they found that the octogenarian brutally assaulted.

An 86-year-old woman was stabbed to death on Tuesday by a former driver who worked in her son’s house in the Rani Bagh area in outer Delhi until recently but was fired over indiscipline, police said. The accused, who was allegedly committing robbery in the house when he was spotted by the woman, has been arrested, police added.

Police said the suspect, Gopal worked as a driver for victim Murti Devi’s son, Subhash Chander, until earlier this month. (HT Photo)

Deputy commissioner of police (outer), Sameer Sharma, said that the victim has been identified as Murti Devi, a resident of Saraswati Vihar, who was stabbed at least three times, allegedly by Gopal, 22, a resident of Pitampura who is originally from Udaipur. Gopal worked as a driver for Murti Devi’s son, Subhash Chander, until earlier this month.

Police said that the control room got a call at 7.16pm on Tuesday from Chander’s son, who said his grandmother was injured and bleeding. When police reached the spot, they found that the octogenarian brutally assaulted. At the scene of the crime, the investigators saw blood spattered on a wall close to the balcony, and the victim’s slippers and artificial teeth stained with blood. Her spectacles were on the floor, suggesting she had tried to resist the attack. A spot inspection also revealed that a robbery had taken place at the house.

The injured was been taken to a nearby hospital, but was declared “brought dead”. Her body was then taken to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Based on Chander’s statement, police registered a case under Section 302 (murder) and 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code.

DCP Sharma said that CCTV footage collected from the area showed some suspicious activity by a man in the vicinity around the time of the incident. When police showed the video to Chander, he told them that the person in the video was Gopal, whom he had fired a few days ago.

“He said that Gopal was hired in January and was asked to leave on September 12. He also said that Gopal would not come for days on end, and soometimes wouldn’t take his calls also. Thay’s why he had fired him,” an investigator said, adding that Chander didn’t know Gopal’s home address.

The police team collected human intelligence, and managed to apprehend Gopal from his rented accommodation in Pitampura just as he was packing his bags and was about to run away with his wife, the officer said. Police also found the murder weapon and ₹3,20,000 looted from Chander’s home.

During interrogation, Gopal said that he used to work as a driver for Chander, and was fired from a few days ago. “He was fully aware that a lot of money was kept in the almirah in the house. On Tuesday, he planned the robbery, and was carrying a knife,” the DCP said.

Gopal told the police that he hovered around Chander’s house for the entire day on Tuesday, and saw a window of opportunity when the complainant went for a walk with his wife in the evening. He entered the house, but was surprised to find Murti Devi, who was visiting, there. Though he managed to steal some money and belongings, just as he was leaving, Murti Devi saw him and started shouting. To silence her, he stabbed her on the neck and chin, and fled the scene, police said.

According to National Crime Records Bureau, the Capital accounted for 28.6% of total crimes committed against people aged 60 years and above among 19 Metropolitan cities, making it the most unsafe for senior citizens. According to the NCRB data, a total of 1,166 cases of crimes against senior citizens were reported in Delhi, including 17 murders, in 2021 compared to 906 in 2020.