Safdarjung Hospital employee stabbed 40 times by estranged husband, dies

The alleged killer was apprehended near the crime scene by two policemen with the help of the public. The knife used in the murder was recovered from him, the police said, adding that the man had a problem with the woman working at the hospital and suspected her of having an affair.

A 40-year-old woman employed at a government hospital died on Saturday after she was stabbed with a knife at least 40 times allegedly by her estranged husband at a market in outer Delhi’s Budh Vihar, the Delhi Police said.

The murder was witnessed by many in the market area and was also captured by a CCTV camera installed near the crime scene, the police said.(Getty images. Representative image)

The alleged killer was apprehended near the crime scene by two policemen with the help of the public. The knife used in the murder was recovered from him, the police said, adding that the man had a problem with the woman working at the hospital and suspected her of having an affair.

The murder was witnessed by many in the market area and was also captured by a CCTV camera installed near the crime scene, the police said. Apart from the CCTV footage, a mobile video shot by one of the people present at the spot was also circulating on social media, they added.

In the 1:41-minute CCTV footage, a man wearing a pink shirt and a cloth tied around his forehead is seen talking to the woman, who is holding a bag on her left shoulder, with her back facing the camera; their faces are not visible in the clip. As the woman tries to leave, the man begins attacking her with a knife.

The woman falls on the street and four-five people are seen coming out of two adjacent shops. A biker also stops while two men are seen standing behind the attacker. However, the attacker continues stabbing the woman and threatening the onlookers, the clip shows. After the attack, the man walks away, the footage shows. HT couldn’t independently verify the authenticity of the clip.

The police said that around 2pm, the Vijay Vihar station was informed about the stabbing and two beat constables were sent to the crime scene. The policemen saw the suspect holding a knife and running away. They overpowered him with the help of the public and snatched his knife, which had blood stains, the police said. The injured woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared “brought dead”, they added.

DCP (Rohini) Pranav Tayal said the suspect was identified as Harish Mehta, 40, who was from Gujarat but was working with a marriage bureau in Delhi. He recently married Neelu after meeting her on a matrimonial site. The woman worked at the Safdarjung Hospital and this was her second marriage, said Tayal.

During the interrogation, the DCP said, Mehta disclosed that he did not like his wife working and wanted her to quit the job and stay at home.