Two women stabbed to death in Delhi’s Wazirabad village

Delhi Police said the husband of one of the victims is absconding. The victims had multiple stab wounds and cops said a large needle could have been used to murder them.

Two women of a family were found dead with multiple stab wounds on their bodies in a flat in north Delhi’s Wazirabad on Monday morning.

The two women have been identified as Premlata (24) and Soniya (22). Premlata’s husband Mohit, who police say is on the run, is Soniya’s cousin. (HT FILE)

A kitchen knife and a screwdriver, allegedly used to stab the victims at least a dozen times each, were recovered from the murder spot, police said. The victims were identified as Premlatha (24) and Soniya (22).

Police said prima facie the murders did not appear to involve any sexual assault. However, investigators are waiting for autopsy reports before reaching any final conclusions. The house had not been ransacked and the killer seemed to have made a friendly entry, prompting the police to suspect that personal issues may have led to the killings.

Police said that they were looking for Premlatha’s husband Mohit Yadav, who is also Soniya’s cousin. Mohit has been missing since the murders, prompting police to suspect his involvement in the crime.

“Initially Mohit’s mobile phone was switched off. But it was briefly switched on later in the day. Initially, we suspected that Mohit too could have been killed. But, that seems unlikely now. We are looking athe case from all angles,” said a senior investigator.

Jatin Narwal, DCP (north), said Soniya had undergone a gallbladder surgery a few days ago. At the time of the incident, her father and brother were visiting their village in Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh. Soniya’s cousin Mohit and his wife Premlatha were staying with her in the flat while her father was away.

The double murder came to light when Soniya’s father tried calling her mobile phone on Monday morning. When he could not reach either of the three, he called a neighbour to check. The neighbour, on finding the flat latched from outside, raised an alarm ad alerted other residents.

“I unlatched the door and entered the house around 11am to find two women lying dead on the floor, a few feet from each other. There were multiple stab wounds on the bodies, particularly on their neck and face. Two smashed mobile phones were found lying near the bodies. The police were immediately informed,” a neighbour said. The neighbours claimed that they had not heard any cries for help.

Later, when police got to know that Mohit too had moved into in the house a week ago, they launched a search for him. However, he was found to be missing. A police team was later sent to Agra to hunt for him.

“Since the damaged mobile phones of the women were found next to them, we suspect that the murders had some connection with phone calls. We are in the process of obtaining call records of the victims and the suspect for possible motives,” an investigator said.