When the mysterious case of a Delhi University assistant professor's murder at her home in East Delhi was finally solved, the details shared by investigators were truly shocking. It was a dispute over the sale of the professor's ancestral house that turned ugly and ultimately led to her murder by her two distant relatives on June 4, police have said.
The 45-year-old professor was found dead at her home in Delhi's Vasundhara Enclave with wrists slit and serious head and face injuries.
Property dispute led to murder
Police said that the two accused, who have been arrested, lived as tenants at the deceased professor's ancestral property in Burdwan, West Bengal since 2023, according to news agency PTI.
The house had been allotted to the deceased professor through family settlement. "The victim had repeatedly asked them to vacate the premises, leading to a prolonged dispute," police was quoted as saying.
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The couple wanted to buy that property and while the professor’s parents and two siblings were ready to sell it, she was reluctant to sell it.
{{/usCountry}}The couple wanted to buy that property and while the professor’s parents and two siblings were ready to sell it, she was reluctant to sell it.
{{/usCountry}}“The professor, however, was against the family decision of selling their ancestral property. She was also against selling their Kolkata house to the tenant couple. The couple found her the main hurdle. The two were enraged because despite their repeated requests, the professor was not giving her consent for selling the house. And because of that reason they travelled to Delhi, killed her on Wednesday, and returned to Kolkata,” Joint commissioner of police (eastern range) Ajit Kumar Singla told HT.
Accused travelled 1,400 km to execute the murder
Police found that the victim had recently issued a final warning to the family to vacate the property, after which they allegedly conspired to eliminate her and travelled to Delhi, almost 1,400 kilometres, on June 3 with preparations to execute the crime, PTI reported.
Police said the accused, who were known to the victim, gained entry into the sixth-floor apartment without resistance. Initial investigation pointed to the property dispute as the main motive behind the murder.
The professor had been living alone in the flat after separating from her husband in 2022. During the probe, police also questioned her husband, who currently lives in Bengaluru.
Minor son accompanied the accused couple
The accused couple was accompanied by their minor son when they arrived at the Delhi high-rise to murder the DU professor, CCTV footage revealed, which also showed them moving through the premises while concealing their identities and using the staircase and lifts at different stages.
Police said it has emerged that the accused carried the murder weapon with them and killed the woman inside her flat.
The accused allegedly took several steps to evade detection.
CCTV footage showed them changing clothes after the crime and keeping their faces concealed while moving in and around the apartment complex.
After committing the crime, the family hired a taxi and an autorickshaw to flee the area.
"They travelled to Anand Vihar and then proceeded to New Delhi Railway Station, from where they boarded the Poorva Express at around 5.40 pm on June 3. They reached Burdwan the following day," said the police officer.
The breakthrough came after investigators detained the cab driver who had transported the suspects and analysed ride details to identify the passengers.
Police scrutinised footage and records of nearly 200 visitors who had entered the housing complex on the day of the murder and shortlisted 13 suspects for detailed examination.
With inputs from Karn Pratap Singh