They tried to target more houses

The three robbers who killed two senior citizens, who lived in different blocks of Rohini Sector 3, had tried to break into other houses in the area as well.

The three robbers who killed two senior citizens, who lived in different blocks of Rohini Sector 3, had tried to break into other houses in the area as well.

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The armed robbers struck at two houses in Rohini and brutally murdered two women before fleeing. The houses are located within 500 metres of each other and sources said the robbers probably walked to the second house after robbing and killing a woman at the first house.

"They entered the D-17 block house by opening the door through a window while at the G-30 block house they entered by cutting the window. Now some neighbours are claiming that someone had tried to enter their houses too around the same time," said Rambir Singh, a resident of Rohini Sector 3.

Shanti Devi, 70, was sleeping in her room on the ground floor in G 30 block when three robbers entered her house around 1.30am. Her husband and son Bheem were in another room, while the rest of the family members were on the floors above.

One of the robbers held her hostage and others started ransacking the house. But somehow her husband and son woke up and overpowered one of the robbers. "Bheem caught one robber but another one stabbed my mother and then they fled," said Dilip, the victim's other son.

But the robbers did not stop here. They entered the ground floor of another house in D-17 block, roughly 500 metres away from the first house.

"Around 2am, someone rang the doorbell and we immediately rushed to the ground floor. We saw our mother in a pool of blood; she was stabbed in her stomach. The robbers had fled by that time," said Jyoti Salija, the victim's daughter.

Rasham Rani was rushed to Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. Police said they recovered a wallet and a belt from D-17 block which the robbers had stolen from G-30 block.

"We have detained four men for questioning,” a senior police officer said.