Two murders in a span of 15 hours; suspects nabbed in both cases are family

The first murder came to fore around 7.30am on Sunday, when the Safdarjung Hospital authorities informed south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri police station about the death of 38-year-old Sikandar Sahni due to strangulation.

Two persons, including a 64-year-old woman, were killed in two separate incidents reported from south and north-east Delhi within a span of 15 hours on Sunday. Both murders have been solved and the suspects -- family members of those killed -- have been arrested.

In the second case, a 22-year-old man allegedly killed his mother by stabbing her multiple times with a screwdriver at their home in north-east Delhi’s Khajoori Khas on Sunday around 10pm. (Representative Image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The first murder came to fore around 7.30am on Sunday, when the Safdarjung Hospital authorities informed south Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri police station about the death of 38-year-old Sikandar Sahni due to strangulation. Sahni was admitted to the hospital by his 35-year-old wife Sarita Devi, who was later arrested for the murder. Police said during questioning, she admitted to killing her husband by strangling him with her saree.

“Sarita Devi told us that her husband was a habitual drinker despite being a chronic tuberculosis patient. The couple often had arguments over this. After consuming liquor, he allegedly used to abuse and assault her daily in front of their children,” said deputy commissioner of police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur.

On Saturday night, an investigator who did not want to be named, said Sahini returned home in an inebriated condition and picked up a fight with Sarita Devi. Their four children went to another room on the ground floor. The couple’s argument continued till the early hours of Sunday and the woman strangled her husband with her saree in a fit of rage.

In the second case, a 22-year-old man allegedly killed his mother by stabbing her multiple times with a screwdriver at their home in north-east Delhi’s Khajoori Khas on Sunday around 10pm. The man, Sushil Pandey, turned violent when his mother, Ramlalli Devi, rebuked him for his drinking habit and refused to give money to buy liquor, the police said.

DCP (north-east) Ved Prakash Surya said Pandey was caught from the crime scene after his father returned home, found his wife’s body and raised the alarm. “Pandey’s parents were concerned over his drinking habit. He worked as an electrician but had stopped going to work for the past sometime. He often fought with his mother Ramlalli Devi over money for buying liquor,” said the DCP, adding that the screwdriver used in the murder was recovered.