Delhi: Maid’s husband found dead in Selja bungalow

A 42-year-old man was found dead outside the servants’ quarters at former Union minister and Congress leader Kumari Selja’s house on Monday morning.

A 42-year-old man was found dead outside the servants’ quarters at former Union minister and Congress leader Kumari Selja’s house on Monday morning.

HT Image

The deceased – identified as Sanjay Kumar – was the husband of a domestic help working in Selja’s residence. The servants’ quarters is located behind but within the premises of the former minister’s bungalow at Motilal Nehru Marg in central Delhi.

A case of murder has been registered, said SBS Tyagi, additional commissioner of police. Investigators have detained a cook, identified as Anil, and another employee for questioning.

Though no arrests were made till Monday evening, police sources confirmed the alleged involvement of the two suspects in the murder of Kumar, who worked as a supervisor at the Vayu Sena Bhawan, headquarters of the Air Force.

Despite repeated attempts, the former minister of social justice and empowerment wasn’t available for comment.

Kumar’s family alleged the suspects wanted their friend to replace Sanjay’s wife Manju at work and murdered him for not vacating the quarters.

They also accused Selja’s secretary of allegedly plotting Manju’s ouster from her work as well as the accommodation. She was working at the Selja residence for the past eight months.

The body was discovered by Manju on Monday morning. “She followed bloodstains on the floor and the couch inside the house and found Sanjay’s body lying in a pool of blood in the park outside the quarters. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on admission,” said Veena, Sanjay’s sister-in-law. Manju claimed the body had injuries on the lips, back, and head, with a broken tooth.

Sanjay and his family were celebrating Raksha Bandhan at Veena’s house on Sunday but returned to the quarters alone around 9:30pm after getting a call from Selja’s secretary, Veena claimed.

Relatives alleged that Sanjay was murdered inside the quarters – where he lived with his wife and two children -- and his body was later moved to the park outside to make it look like he died after falling from the roof of the building.

Manju hadn’t been paid her salary for the past two months to “force” her out of the accommodation, alleged Veena. “Selja was informed when the body was discovered but she chose to leave without meeting Manju,” she added. Police, however, didn’t confirm Selja’s presence.