‘Planned murder because she always humiliated me’

Mukesh Paswan, who had been working for the Sewani family at their Lajpat Nagar garment shop for three years, told police he was frustrated by what he described as “constant humiliation” from 42-year-old Ruchika Sewani,.

The 24-year-old man accused of murdering a woman and her teenage son in their Lajpat Nagar home has reportedly told investigators that he planned the killings two days before the crime, enraged by repeated phone calls and demands from the woman to return to work or repay a loan, police officials said on Friday.

Police officials seen outside the house where the murder took place. (Sanchit Khanna/Hindustan Times)

Mukesh Paswan, who had been working for the Sewani family at their Lajpat Nagar garment shop for three years, told police he was frustrated by what he described as “constant humiliation” from 42-year-old Ruchika Sewani, who had been calling him repeatedly over five days. Paswan had not reported to work for 10 days, allegedly due to illness, investigators privy to the case details said on Friday.

Ruchika and her 14-year-old son Krish were found with their throats slit in their first-floor flat in Lajpat Nagar’s F-Block around 10pm on Wednesday. The murders came to light when Ruchika’s husband, 44-year-old Kuldeep Sewani, returned from work and spotted blood on the staircase. Unable to reach his wife or son by phone, he called the police at 9.43pm. Police entered the flat by force and found the two bodies.

Police zeroed in on Paswan after CCTV footage showed him entering the building around 7.30pm and leaving after an hour. He was arrested the next morning by Uttar Pradesh Police from a train headed to Bihar at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction (formerly Mughalsarai).

According to investigators, Paswan confessed that he decided on Monday, two days before the crime, to kill Ruchika. “It wasn’t triggered by a single phone call on Wednesday, but a pattern of what he felt was harassment,” said a Delhi Police officer involved in the investigation.

On the day of the murder, Paswan reportedly purchased a knife from a local vendor in Amar Colony and had it sharpened. He entered the Sewanis’ building around 6.30pm and waited on the staircase leading to the second floor to avoid being seen. Ruchika returned home at around 7.30pm, after which Paswan knocked on the door and was let in.

“He told our team that he stabbed Ruchika while she was sitting in her room. When Krish saw him attacking his mother, he panicked, and Paswan said he killed the boy too, fearing he would be identified,” said Krishna Murari Sharma, circle officer with UP Police in Chandauli.

Paswan told police that he held no grudge against Kuldeep. “Bhaiya always treated me with respect,” he reportedly said during questioning.

Although the motive was not robbery, the officer cited above said that Paswan took around ₹40,000 in cash from the house after the murders. “He saw the money after the killings and decided to flee with it,” a Delhi Police officer said. Some of the stolen cash has been recovered.

Paswan was tracked using technical surveillance and arrested from the Magadh Express train in a joint operation involving the Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, and Chandauli police.

Investigators also noted that blood smears were found along the staircase wall, likely from when Paswan brushed against it while fleeing with blood on his clothes.

The victims leave behind Kuldeep and the couple’s 21-year-old daughter, Kritika, who is studying in Jammu. Police said further interrogation of Paswan is ongoing and a detailed chargesheet will be prepared soon.

With inputs from Sudhir Kumar