Retired teacher found dead inside home

It was the love for the house that his wife built, that may have proved fatal for Devendra Kishore Joshi, 68, a retired Sanskrit teacher who was found murdered at his duplex house in Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi on Sunday morning.

It was the love for the house that his wife built, that may have proved fatal for Devendra Kishore Joshi, 68, a retired Sanskrit teacher who was found murdered at his duplex house in Vasant Kunj area of south Delhi on Sunday morning. Though not much has been found amiss from Joshi’s residence, police suspect some credit cards are missing.

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Joshi had refused to shift with his son, Anurag, to the US as he was deeply attached to the house where he had shifted six years ago.
Joshi’s wife died two years ago. Senior citizens living in the C-9 block where Joshi was found dead said that there was no security in place and multiple entry and exit gates facilitated the movement of all and sundry in the colony.

“His son Anurag, his daughter-in-law and two-year-old granddaughter were recently here for a family reunion,” said PL Bakshi, a close friend and neighbour of Joshi. "His son was supposed to return in March next year and had tried to convince Joshi (to accompany him to the US) but he did not want to leave his house (and go with his son),” Bakshi added.

Police said they were trying to unravel the mystery behind a woman’s wig they found near Joshi’s body. “The presence of a woman’s wig is quite baffling. He (Joshi) even had his walking shoes on,” said a senior police officer.

Anurag had left several messages on his answering machine that went unanswered. Police said the accused knew the victim and were well aware of the premises. They chose to leave from the rear door and had consciously locked the main door.

“There is hardly any security here. A few years ago, a senior citizen living alone was Found murdered at her home. Despite that, not much has been done,” Pritpal Singh, a senior citizen said.

“There are 10 gates and the security guard never maintains the entry details of any visitor,” Singh added.

Reacting to the allegations, Indu Gehlaut, president of the residents’ welfare association said, “It is not possible for the guards to verify the movement of every visitor. Every domestic help and cleaner has been given a pass to enter.”

She added that police patrolling in the area was adequate. The four men who had lived earlier in Joshi’s house on rent were being questioned. “He did not speak much and watched television a lot,” said Geeta Arora, a neighbour. “Joshi said his wife had built this house and he was deeply attached to it,” Arora added.