Delhi couple killed: Party plans turned into funeral as she died on her 74th birthday

A couple in their seventies was murdered and their house ransacked in north-west Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, Phase-3, on Saturday.

Kaushal Bhutani, who was found dead, would have turned 74 on Saturday. Her relatives had been planning her birthday celebrations for almost a week. A birthday cake and a family get-together at the couple’s house was on cards.

Ramlal Bhutani (79) and his wife Kaushal Bhutani (73) were found dead by an attendants at 9.43am.

Hours before the planned celebrations, the relatives received news of her death. “Kaushal was a very humble person. She was kind and kept in touch with everyone. We were eagerly waiting for her birthday. This was an occasion to celebrate. The brutal manner in which she was found dead is very shocking,” said JC Bhutani, Kaushal’s brother-in-law.

Relatives said that Kaushal was confined in the house due to old age and her ailing husband, Ramlal, who was in bed. However, she kept in touch with everyone on phone. The couple had hired two helps to take care of them.

“Her husband has been ill since last three years. So Kaushal used to take care of him. As a result, she was unable to step out of her house much. So we visited her often and talked to her. She was always very polite,” said a neighbour.

The couple had an arranged marriage. They did not have any children and lived alone in the house. Kaushal had retired as a government school teacher. She loved to be around kids and liked it when children of her relatives came to visit her, neighbours said.

Kaushal was found dead inside her house around 9.43am on Saturday. She reportedly died due to severe head injuries. The way in which the couple was found dead in their house has shocked the neighbours. This is for the first time that such an incident has occurred in the locality, they said.

“The elderly couple had been living alone for several years. They never faced safety issues. They lived peacefully. It turns out no one is safe now,” said Lalita Chawla, Kaushal’s sister-in-law.