Detained boy hit victim with brick repeatedly: Delhi Police

The detained boy made away with ₹6,500 cash, some jewellery, and a purse, said police

The teenager who was apprehended for murdering a 79-year-old woman in Rajendra Nagar hit the victim several times on the head with a brick — on immediately entering the house and then while leaving when she regained consciousness and was about to raise the alarm — investigators said, quoting disclosures by the accused, a day after he was caught for the crime.

Investigators said the teen boy first hit the woman with a brick on entering the house. (Getty Images)

Kusum Singhal, who lived alone at her house in the Old Rajendra Nagar area, was killed on Friday and her body was found by a neighbour on Saturday. The teenager, according to the police, sold vegetables near her house and used to deliver vegetables to Singhal’s house.

Investigators said the boy first hit Singhal with a brick on entering the house, when she was talking over the phone. She lost consciousness immediately and the teenager thought she had died. He then ransacked the house for valuables and stole ₹6,500 cash, some jewellery and a purse. Meanwhile, Singhal regained consciousness and was about to raise the alarm when the teenager picked up the brick again and hit her several times in the head, inflicting severe injuries that led to her death, the officers said, adding that the boy also took away Singhal’s phone.

On Monday, the police said they have also arrested two men, identified by their first names as Ajit (24) and Aakash (21), for allegedly purchasing the elderly woman’s mobile phone, a pair of earrings and a metal ring. The teenager sold the phone and pair of earrings to Ajit, while Aakash bought the metal ring.

Deputy commissioner of police (central) Sweta Singh Chauhan said the murder took place on December 10, a day before the woman’s body was found by her neighbour, who had gone to check on her after being contacted by one of her daughters, who was worried as her mother was not answering calls.

As there were signs of the house being ransacked, a case of murder for robbery was registered. During inquiry, it was learnt that Singhal was last seen nearly 20 hours before her body was discovered.

It was learnt that Singhal had undergone some diagnostic tests on December 10 and because of that, she was wearing a holter monitor (a wearable device that tracks heart rhythms).

“The reading on the machine (observed through a remote server) showed that her heartbeat increased excessively between 3.30pm and 4pm on December 10, suggesting that she was murdered during that period. Investigators examined the footage of nearly 90 CCTV cameras installed in the neighbourhood during that half hour and one of the cameras captured the suspect in the lane, with a brick in his hand,” said another investigator.

The suspect was apprehended along with the woman’s stolen cellphone, ₹2,000 cash and two pairs of earrings. While he was being examined, the investigating team found that Singhal’s Facebook account was still active.

“The teenager told us he stole another cellphone from the woman’s house on December 8, two days before the murder. He sold that phone to Ajit. We arrested Ajit and recovered the phone,” the investigator said.

The teenager told the police that he planned to rob Singhal when he came to know that she lived alone while delivering vegetables to her home.