Man arrested in Rae Bareli for killing man in south Delhi, injuring latter’s wife

The accused allegedly developed a personal relationship with the deceased’s wife, but on a night when she rejected him, he attacked them in a fit of rage

A 36-year-old man was arrested in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday for allegedly killing a labourer and critically injuring the latter’s wife with a hammer at their house in Katwaria Sarai in southwest Delhi on May 21, police said on Sunday.

Police said that their control room received a call from locals about the incident on May 21. (Representational image)

The accused was identified as Akhilesh Kumar. The victims, Ashok Kumar (45) and his wife M Devi (40), worked as daily wage labourers at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, said additional deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Aishwarya Singh.

“The accused told us he had developed a close platonic relationship with the wife of the deceased. The deceased warned him several times over the past month to keep his distance. On Saturday, when Akhilesh arrived at the married couple’s house, both Devi and Ashok told him to leave. So he attacked them in a fit of rage,” said a police officer associated with the case.

Police said that their control room received a call from locals about the incident on May 21. When police arrived on the scene—a first-floor flat in Katwaria Sarai—they found Ashok lying dead with head injuries and his wife Devi lying nearby in a semi-conscious state, bleeding from the head. She was rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where she is still undergoing treatment, police said.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly told police that he attacked the victims in a fit of rage. He allegedly picked up a hammer and attacked the couple before fleeing the scene. The murder weapon and bloodstained clothes were recovered from the accused, police said.