75-year-old woman strangled to death in Delhi’s Hari Nagar during robbery bid

The elderly woman’s husband, who is a cancer patient and has been diagnosed with mental health illnesses, was in the flat when the murder and robbery took place.

A 75-year-old woman was assaulted and strangled to death allegedly by three men, including her husband’s caretaker who was employed two days before the incident, during a robbery at her home in west Delhi’s Hari Nagar last week. The police on Sunday said they arrested all three suspects and recovered the stolen items — a pair of earrings and ₹2,000 cash.

The woman died during treatment and doctors informed the police about strangulation marks around her neck. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The elderly woman’s husband, who is a cancer patient and has been diagnosed with mental health illnesses, was in the flat when the murder and robbery took place. However, due to the severity of his mental illness, the man is aware of neither the robbery nor his wife’s murder, said deputy commissioner of police (west) Urvija Goel.

The incident came to light when on the afternoon of June 1, the couple’s neighbour went to check on them and found the woman unconscious and the caretaker, identified as Monu, missing. Upon being informed, the police took the woman, Savitri Sharma, to a hospital, even as Monu returned to the house. The woman died during treatment and doctors informed the police about strangulation marks around her neck.

“Monu was questioned, but kept changing his statements, which made us suspect his involvement in the incident. Investigations revealed that two other people were in the house when the incident took place,” said Goel. Monu later confessed that they killed her during the robbery, she said.

Monu’s interrogation led to the arrests of the other two suspects — Vishal and Naveen Kumar — who told the police that Monu began working at the couple’s house on May 30 to take care of the man, identified as Jaipal Sharma. He was hired through a placement agency.

The police said that on May 31, Monu called Vishal and told him his employers had received a large payment. They chalked out a robbery plan and included Naveen in it. On the same night, Monu and Vishal went to the flat, assaulted Savitri and asked her about the cash and other valuables. Naveen kept watch outside.

“When she resisted, the duo strangled her to death. They stole ₹2,000 and a pair of earrings and fled. Apart from the stolen items, we have also recovered a motorcycle they used in the crime,” Goel added.