Man who killed mother in west Delhi used LinkedIn to plan escape, held from Patna

Animesh Jha was arrested from Patna Railway Station after one of his friends alerted the police that he had been using LinkedIn to contact others for help to escape.

Almost a fortnight after he allegedly strangled his 53-year-old mother at their flat in west Delhi’s Dwarka, a man was arrested from Patna railway station on Tuesday. Animesh Jha was set to escape to Nepal when the police team swooped down on him.

Animesh Jha was arrested at from Patna Railway Station on Tuesday.

Jha had been using social network service LinkedIn to keep in touch with his friends and seek their help to escape from India. One of the friends, when approached by him for help, tipped off the police, Surender Kumar, DCP (southwest), told HT.

“After killing his mother, Animesh had left his mobile phone behind to avoid technical surveillance. He would use public phone booths to make calls and LinkedIn messaging to contact a few friends. One of his friends, who had read that Animesh had killed his mother, informed us about the LinkedIn connection,” said the DCP.

Police then sought help from LinkedIn and launched a technical surveillance on him before nabbing him. Animesh is being brought to Delhi where he will be questioned about the motive behind killing his mother, Meeta Jha.

The 53-year-old woman lived alone with her ‘alcoholic’ son in an apartment in Chandra Park in Dwarka’s sector 3. Her husband had died a few years ago.

It was on March 2 that Meeta Jha’s daughter, a London-based doctor, called her mother on her phone. On not receiving any response for two days, she called neighbours who found the flat locked from outside.

Police were alerted and the house was broken into only to find the woman lying dead on the bed. Her body had started to decay, suggesting she had been murdered days ago.

There were strangulation marks on her neck. Police said that the victim’s daughter suspected her brother Animesh, who was missing. CCTV footage of the building showed he had locked the flat from outside and left the apartment three days before the murder came to light. Animesh had fled to Patna thereafter in an attempt to seek an exit from India.

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Jha had been using social network service LinkedIn to keep in touch with his friends and seek their help to escape from India. One of the friends, when approached by him for help, tipped off the police