Man chops off wife’s hand in north Delhi hotel room, on the run

The woman was admitted in Safdarjung Hospital, where her hand was reattached after an hours-long surgery late on Saturday night

Little seemed out of place to the staff of a small hotel in Adarsh Nagar in north Delhi, when a man and his wife, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan, checked in on Friday afternoon.

The suspect is at large, police said. (FILE)

Satish Kumar Kushwaha (32) and his wife, they believed, would spend their time as most other guests in hotels do. They ordered room service for lunch, soon after they got their room on Saturday.

But then, a few hours later, the hotel staff heard the woman shrieking.

Some of them rushed to the door, but their persistent knocks were ignored. Eventually, they rammed the door down, and walked in to see the woman, now nearly passed out in a pool of blood on the floor, her left hand chopped off, and a knife a few inches away.

Her husband had cut off her hand and fled the room, Delhi Police said on Saturday, detailing a gruesome crime.

Kushwaha, who travelled to Delhi with his wife from Kanpur, is at large and police have not been able to question the woman, who was taken to hospital. Investigators, however, said they believe the couple’s relationship was strained.

Police did not identify the woman, who was admitted in Safdarjung Hospital, where her hand was reattached after an hours-long surgery late on Saturday night.

“A case under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and several teams are working to nab the accused,” said deputy commissioner of police (north west) Jitendra Kumar Meena.

Later, it emerged that Kushwaha had also assaulted the woman in Uttar Pradesh earlier, after which her brother had filed an FIR against him.

A senior officer aware of the details of the investigation said the police control room (PCR) call received information about the attack from the hotel on Friday evening.

“There was a pool of blood. Her hand had been cut from just above the wrist. We immediately rushed her to hospital and preserved her hand as well,” the officer said, asking not to be named. “They shared their identity documents and have been found to be residents of Kanpur. They ordered lunch which was delivered to them. A few hours later, the staff said that they could hear the woman’s cries but no one opened the door when they knocked. The staffers had to then break open the door to find the woman bleeding and her hand cut, after which they immediately called police,” the officer added.

The couple, this person added, was in Delhi because the victim was set to take an examination to qualify for a senior position.

“They had a strained relationship, but the motive will become clearer once the woman gives her statement or the accused is arrested. Investigators have found that the suspect’s family in Kanpur is at large as well,” the official added.

Delhi Police have shared details of the incident with Kanpur police and are poring over CCTV footage in and around the hotel to determine when the husband left the room or the hotel. The officer quoted above added that the woman was likely sedated before the attack because she was found only partially conscious.