New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) A 55-year-old man was allegedly sedated, strangled and given electric shocks by his wife, her lover and his associate in his sleep, and was beaten with a wooden stick to make sure he was dead, in south Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area, police said on Wednesday.
The wife, 45-year-old Manju alias Nazia, allegedly mixed a sedative in water and gave it to her husband Munna Lal to incapacitate him, following which her lover, 20-year-old Chaman, and his 28-year-old associate, Kishan, entered the house and killed him, took Rs 20,000 as promised and fled, the police said.
The deceased’s son, who usually lived with his father and never left him alone, was away on the night of the incident to participate in the Kanwar Yatra, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said.
The couple had been married for 22 years and had three children — two daughters, one son, the officer said.
The police received a PCR call at around 5 am on August 10 regarding a man lying injured on the road in the Ratiya Marg area of Sangam Vihar. A police team was immediately rushed to the spot, where Munna Lal was found lying in a pool of blood with several injury marks on his body.
He was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he was declared dead. A case was registered, and an investigation was launched into the matter.
According to the DCP, when police questioned Nazia, she tried to mislead the investigators by claiming that burglars had entered the house and killed her husband when he confronted them.
“She told police that there was a burglary attempt and when he confronted the burglars, they killed him and she was sleeping at that time,” Mittal said.
However, the investigating team noticed discrepancies in her statement and found several things at the crime scene that appeared inconsistent with her version.
The police also noticed attempts to clean the floor and remove traces of blood.
Articles inside the house were removed or strewn about to create the impression of a burglary attempt.
CCTV footage from cameras installed outside the house further raised suspicion.
The footage showed a masked man entering the house at around 1.45 am and leaving at about 3.15 am.
“The moment we questioned her more, the woman broke down and confessed the entire case. She told the team that she murdered her husband with her lover Chaman and his associate,” the DCP said.
According to the police, Chaman, a mechanic at a shop near the couple’s house, was allegedly in a relationship with Nazia.
The investigation revealed that Nazia promised to pay Chaman Rs 5 lakh to kill her husband, and allegedly paid him Rs 20,000 after the murder.
Chaman allegedly provided sleeping pills or some sedatives to Nazia. She mixed the pills in water and gave them to Munna Lal before the attack.
“When he slept, he entered the house, strangled him with a rope, smothered him, and used electric shock, resulting in his death,” Mittal said, adding that he was helped all along by an associate.
Munna Lal was also allegedly beaten with a wooden stick to ensure that he was dead, he said.
After the murder, the three allegedly cleaned the house and then ransacked it again to make it appear as though a burglary had taken place, the officer said.
The police said the motive appeared to be rooted in frequent domestic disputes and financial issues faced by Nazia.
Munna Lal worked as a property dealer and was financially well-off, but Nazia allegedly complained that he did not give her money. This led to frequent quarrels between the couple, the police said.
The police arrested Nazia and Chaman in connection with the murder. Kishan, who allegedly helped in the crime and subsequently harboured the accused, was bound down.
Nazia, a resident of Ratiya Marg in Sangam Vihar, has no previous involvement in criminal cases, the police said. Neither did Chaman and Kishan.
The police recovered Rs 15,000 in cash during their investigation.
The DCP said a probe to establish the complete sequence of events is still on. PTI BM VN VN
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