Elderly woman’s throat slit, daughter killed in their west Delhi home

Police said the body of the elderly woman, with her throat slit, was found on the floor in the kitchen.

A 65-year-old woman and her 40-year-old mentally- and- physically-disabled daughter were found brutally murdered at their home in a DDA colony in west Delhi’s Guru Hari Kishan Nagar near Paschim Vihar on Saturday morning.

The dead women were identified as Shashi Talwar and her daughter Nidhi Talwar. (Virendra Singh Gosain/ Hindustan Times)

A case of murder has been registered at Miyanwali Nagar police station.

Police said the body of the elderly woman, with her throat slit, was found on the floor in the kitchen. The body of the daughter, who appears to have been attacked on the head with a blunt object, was found on the bed in her bedroom. Moreover, police said, her hands were found to be tied with a blue dupatta and a green cloth was found stuffed in her mouth. A pillow on her face has made police suspect that the killers had also smothered her.

The dead women were identified as Shashi Talwar and her daughter Nidhi Talwar. The bodies had started decomposing by the time police were informed, officers said, adding they suspect the two were murdered on Friday. Police however ruled out the possibility of a sexual assault.

DCP (outer) Seju P Kuruvilla said one bedroom was partially ransacked but cash, jewellery and other valuables in the house were found untouched. The jewellery the mother-daughter duo was wearing was all intact.

Investigators suspect the killers knew the family since three cups of tea and some biscuits were found on a table in the drawing room. “We found halwa in the kitchen and some plates lying on the kitchen slab. Prime facie, it appears the killers attacked the elderly woman while she went to the kitchen,” said a police officer.

JP Sharma, general secretary of the resident welfare association (RWA) of housing society where the Talwars lived for the past 25 years, said the double murder came to light around 10 am when the family’s domestic help, Sumitra, arrived and discovered the bodies. Sumitra first rang the door bell at 9 am but when nobody responded she went to the next door neighbour, VK Bansal’s, home for work.

“After finishing her work at Bansal’s home, Sumitra again rang the bell at Talwar’s home. When they did not respond, Sumitra went to the rear end of the house. The back door was ajar. She then found the bodies and raised alarm,” said Sharma.