Delhi woman uses forensic knowledge to kill live-in partner over obscene videos

The victim and the woman had met in May this year and had been living together. The victim allegedly recorded obscene videos of the woman and stored them.

A 21-year-old woman, along with her ex-boyfriend, allegedly killed her live-in partner in Timarpur’s Gandhi Vihar and tried to stage it as a fire incident using her knowledge of forensic methods, police said on Sunday, adding that it was revenge for taking obscene videos of her. The woman, her ex-boyfriend and another man have been arrested.

Around 2.50 AM on October 6, police said, a fire was reported on the fourth floor of the Gandhi Vihar room of the victim, a 32-year-old UPSC aspirant. (Representative)

Around 2.50 AM on October 6, police said, a fire was reported on the fourth floor of the Gandhi Vihar room of the victim, a 32-year-old UPSC aspirant. Once the blaze was doused, a severely burnt body was found. The police had initially registered a case under provisions related to negligent conduct with fire, pending post-mortem and forensic analysis.

However, investigators soon grew suspicious after the victim’s cousin raised doubts about the nature of the death. CCTV footage from the area showed two people entering the building before the fire and one woman leaving shortly before it broke out. Police identified her as the victim’s live-in partner, a 21-year-old BSc forensic science student from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, who had been in a relationship with the victim since May this year.

Investigators said the woman, her ex-boyfriend and another associate then conspired to kill the victim and make it look like a fire accident. The woman, who had a keen interest in crime shows, allegedly used her knowledge of forensic methods to plan the cover-up, a senior police officer said.

“On the night of October 5, the trio visited the victim’s flat, where they allegedly strangled and beat him to death before pouring oil and alcohol over the body. The ex-boyfriend, who works as an LPG gas distributor in Moradabad, then set up the scene for a fire.

“He knew how to manipulate the gas cylinder. They opened the regulator and ignited the fire using a lighter, leaving the cylinder near the victim’s head,” the officer said. “About an hour later, the cylinder exploded, and the body was completely charred.”

The accused were traced using CCTV footage, call detail records, and technical surveillance. After multiple raids, the woman was arrested on October 18 from Moradabad. Based on information from her interrogation, the ex-boyfriend was held on October 21, and their associate on October 23. Police have also recovered the hard disk containing the videos, a trolley bag, the deceased’s shirt, and the mobile phones used during the crime.

“She was pursuing forensic science and later shifted to a computer science course. She knew how to mislead investigators and planned the fire to destroy evidence,” said the officer.

Police said further forensic examination is underway, and the final cause of death will be confirmed after the viscera report.