A 29-year-old woman was assaulted and strangled to death inside a hotel room in central Delhi’s Paharganj allegedly by her 31-year-old boyfriend on Saturday, police said on Sunday, adding that the accused, who stayed with the woman’s body during the night, has been arrested.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (central) Nidhin Valsan said the Nabi Karim police received a call at 9.47am on Sunday from the staff at Hotel Rohit Deluxe in Paharganj. The caller told police that a couple had stayed overnight in a room. In the morning, they saw the man leave hurriedly while the woman was found lying motionless inside the bathroom. DCP Valsan said their relationship was estranged because the victim had an affair with another person, which angered the suspect and led to the murder.
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“After reaching the hotel, our team found out that the couple had checked in at 4.15pm on Saturday. Around 8.30am on Sunday, the hotel staff noticed the man leaving. Subsequently, they discovered the woman lying in the bathroom and informed police,” said Valsan. Police said the hotel staff checked the room on their own as the door was not locked, and the woman was unresponsive to knocks and the doorbell.
Further probe also revealed that during the stay, they ordered pizza and lassi through room service at 6pm on Saturday. The staff, in their statement, claimed they did not hear or see anything suspicious at the time, the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}Further probe also revealed that during the stay, they ordered pizza and lassi through room service at 6pm on Saturday. The staff, in their statement, claimed they did not hear or see anything suspicious at the time, the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“The couple worked together in a clock manufacturing unit in Delhi. They were in a relationship for the past few years. The man recently learnt that she was having an affair with another person. She had been distancing herself from him but he did not want to let her go. The two argued in the hotel room over the issue on Saturday. The man assaulted her and then strangled her using a drawstring,” the officer said.
The couple had used their Aadhaar cards to check in, according to which the man was a resident of Malka Ganj in north Delhi and the woman was from Burari, also in north Delhi. Valsan said the accused was arrested on Sunday evening from northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar.
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The victim’s body was sent to a nearby government hospital for autopsy. After the medical examination findings confirmed murder, a case was registered under section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Nabi Karim police station and teams were formed to track down the man, an officer said, asking not to be named.
“Through technical surveillance and human intelligence, his location was traced to the Ashok Vihar area. He was nabbed and he confessed to killing his girlfriend out of anger. He first beat her up and then strangled her,” added the officer.
On Sunday afternoon, HT visited the hotel and spoke to Prakash Shukla, the cousin of hotel owner Rohit Kumar. “My cousin has been out of Delhi for the past three-four days. I came to the hotel when the manager called me around 8am. I do not know what exactly happened. The manager and other staff are at the police station,” said Shukla.