The elderly couple found dead in their apartment in East of Kailash was allegedly murdered by the son of a masseuse, Delhi Police officials said on Monday, 28 January.
Two decomposed bodies had been recovered from their house in the national capital, a police officer had said on Sunday, 27 January.
WHAT HAPPENED ON 18 JANUARY?
According to police, the couple was murdered by the son of a masseuse who used to work in the apartment on 18 January. The woman, Salma, was working in the apartment for eight years and had come to the 9th floor, where the couple Virender Kumar Khaneja and his wife Sarla Khaneja lived. The woman then sneaked her son into the couple’s house and left the building.
“After Salma left the building, her son came out and asked Sarla Khaneja for money. When Sarla refused to give money to the accused, Salma’s son strangled her to death but didn't leave the apartment,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Chinmoy Biswal told The Quint.
“When Virender Khaneja came back after 11 pm and rang the bell, no one responded. He opened the door with his keys. As soon as he entered, the accused showed up and asked for money. Khaneja then pointed to a drawer, after which he too was strangled,” the DCP said.
The accused then spent the night inside the apartment and left the next morning, Biswal added. Police officials have said that the accused, whose age is yet to be confirmed, has admitted to killing the couple and stealing over Rs 8 lakh in cash from the house.
The accused and his mother are residents of Sangam Vihar.
DECOMPOSED BODIES FOUND IN APARTMENT
On Saturday, 26 January, a local told police officials that an elderly couple living in south Delhi’s Mount Kailash locality was not opening their house’s door.
“A police team reached the spot and found that the house was locked from the inside. The door was force-opened and the two bodies were found in a decomposed state.”Chinmoy Biswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police
"The bodies have been identified as those of Virender Kumar Khaneja (77) and his wife Sarla Khaneja (72). Their son Dr Amit Khaneja lives in the US," Biswal added.
HOW WERE THE BODIES FOUND?
According to Hindustan Times, the woman was found with her hands tied in front of her while her husband lay dead on the floor next to their bed.
There were many naphthalene balls found near their bodies, the police had said.
Earlier, police had said that they were probing if the man had murdered his wife before killing himself, the report said.
Before the suspect’s confession, police hadn’t ruled the possibility of murder as a suicide note was not recovered from the site.
POLICE WAIT FOR POSTMORTEM REPORT
"We have sent the bodies for postmortem examination and are waiting for the report which may throw light on the cause of death," Biswal added.
The couple were registered under the senior citizen category in the police records of the southeast district, he said.
Beat officials used to visit them frequently. The staff had last visited the couple’s house on 15 January and fixed their water issues, police had said.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)
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