Couple found dead in south Delhi home, neighbours ‘woken up by cries of infant son’

The woman, Neetu was found lying on the floor, while her husband Ram Chander was found hanging. The Delhi Police is looking at both suicide and murder angles.

A young couple was found dead at their residence in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar early on Thursday with their six-month-old son crying in one of the rooms. The police are looking at murder and suicide angles, though no note has been found at the spot.

The victims have been identified as Ram Chander, 31, and his wife Neetu, 27. They are survived by two sons. (Representative photo)

The victims are identified as Ram Chander, 31, and his wife Neetu, 27. The couple have a two-year-old son who was not at home at the time.

A police officer told Hindustan Times that they had received a PCR call around 5.30 am from Neetu’s mother Saroopi. Mohar Singh, Chander’s relative, said the Saroopi was informed by a neighbour who heard the cries of the infant Raghav.

The neighbour, a woman, had come to use the common toilet when she heard Raghav’s cries.

As Neetu’s mother reached the house and raised an alarm, other relatives gathered and found that the door of their one-room accommodation was not latched.

Singh said Neetu’s body was lying on the floor while Chander was found hanging from the ceiling fan in the same room. He was hanging from a noose made from electrical cables.

Raghav, the six-month-old younger son of the duo, was in the room crying.

“The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. We can ascertain the cause of death once the report is obtained,” an officer said. Prima facie, they ruled out involvement of outsiders.

Since they had not completed seven years of marriage, an inquest has been initiated.

“We will wait for the post mortem report and the SDM findings to take further action and decide that a murder case should be registered or not,” said Additional DCP, south, Chinmoy Biswal.

Singh said though the couple fought occasionally, the situation was never alarming.

The deaths, he claimed, came as a surprise as on Wednesday night, Chander spent time with his family and his mother-in-law had joined them for dinner. “He was not under any debt. We are puzzled,” said Chander’s uncle.

The couple lived in L Block Sangam Vihar and had been married for the past four years. They had dropped off their elder son at a relative’s place in the same neighbourhood on Wednesday, the police said.

Ram Chander’s elder brothers Ram Naresh and Ram Kishore would now jointly share the custody of Raghav and his elder brother Ayush.