An 88-year-old retired government school teacher and his 50-year old daughter were allegedly found smothered to death at their residence in the Shastri Nagar area of Sarai Rohilla of North Delhi on Thursday morning. Police have not ruled out the possibility of a property dispute. The deceased have been identified are Hari Kishan Verma and his daughter Rajbala.
Police have ruled out robbery as the motive behind the murder and are looking at the angle of a property dispute as one of the reasons behind the crime. Police have questioned ten persons so far in connection with the case and are scanning the CCTV footage and call records of the deceased.
The father-daughter duo used to live in Shastri Nagar area where Arvind, Verma’s son, used to frequently visit them. Although he used to reside in Pitampura with his wife and children, he often frequented his father and sister to take care of them, a senior police officer said. “At around 10 am, Arvind went to Shastri Nagar but was shocked to find his father and sister lying unconscious at their house. He then made a PCR call after which the local police rushed the father and daughter to a nearby hospital where they were declared dead on admission,” said Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North). Apart from Arvind, Hari Kishan had two more sons who run a jewellery manufacturing shop in Shastri Nagar area of Sarai Rohilla.
Meanwhile, Kishan’s three daughters are married and well settled. However, Rajbala was divorced and has been living with her father for quite some time. Kishan’s wife died a few years back, said a senior police officer. “We have questioned close family members and relatives. The case is under investigation and we are looking into all angles,” added the official.
A case of murder has been registered at the Sarai Rohilla police station under Section 302 of the IPC against unknown persons.