Three held for murdering 75-year-old woman in Rohru

The accused, all from Himachal, fled from Chirgaon after murdering the woman in a failed attempt of robbery.

Police on Friday arrested three people from Ghanahatti, 13km from Shimla, for murdering a 75-year-old woman in Chirgaon tehsil of Himachal’s Shimla district on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Rampati. She used to stay alone in the house. The body was spotted by her daughter in the evening.

The accused, all from Himachal, fled from Chirgaon after murdering the woman in a failed attempt of robbery.

According to the reports, the accused broke into a house in Dhunana village in Chirgaon around 12pm on Thursday with a motive of robbery.

Upon seeing the accused, the elderly woman screamed following which the accused strangled her with her scarf and fled the spot.

Later, the locals informed the police, who traced and identified the accused by scanning CCTV footage and sharing the photos of the accused on social media.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Pramod Shukla said the accused were arrested from the Shimla-Bilaspur highway. They will be presented in the court on Saturday.

"A case under Section 302 and 392 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the accused,” the DSP said. Further investigation in the case is on.