Killer’ couple planned to marry after robbery

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25: They allegedly planned to rob an elderly couple and get married, but the robbery ended in cold-blooded murder. A dom...

NEW DELHI, MARCH 25: They allegedly planned to rob an elderly couple and get married, but the robbery ended in cold-blooded murder. A domestic help and her companion were today arrested for the murder of Kamla Khanna (70). Residents of New Rajinder Nagar in central Delhi, Kamla and her husband Dwarka Nath (78) were attacked on the night of March 17. The Khannas’ domestic help, Jayanti, told the police that around 9 p.m. that day some men barged into the house, threatened her with a knife, and went into the bedroom where the elderly couple was watching TV. According to Jayanti, when they left half an hour later, she saw the room had been ransacked and noticed the couple lying in a pool of blood.

The investigating team made a list of all the domestic helpers who had worked with the Khannas in the last five years. They found out that some painting work was also going on in the Khannas’ home.

Also, a youth — aged around 19-20 and apparently Bengali — had recently come to the house and asked for Jayanti. Checks revealed that on March 18 one Sonesh Das , who was working in a house in Old Rajinder Nagar, left the place early in the morning. According to the police, a Nepali domestic help Mahesh was also missing from the same area. On March 25, the police picked up Das from Sindhi Park, Old Rajinder Nagar. He allegedly said that the murder was planned by him, Jayanti and Mahesh. On the night of March 16, Jayanti allegedly told Das that the Khannas had a lot of money. She is said to have offered to help him if he shared the booty with her, and he apparently promised to marry her.

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At around 9 p.m. on March 17, Das and Mahesh allegedly entered the Khannas’ house through the open front door and hid in the kitchen while the couple watched TV in their bedroom. The first apparently overpowered them and hit them on the head. The two men are believed to have next removed all the jewellery and valuables they could lay their hands on.

As the three escaped, Das allegedly gave Jayanti a ring, Rs 1,000 and promised to marry her once the dust settled down. The police claim to have recovered a gold bangle and Rs 3,000 from Das and the gold ring and Rs 1,000 from Jayanti. They are now looking for Mahesh.