Nurse found dead in LNJP Hospital staff quarters

A 45-year-old nurse was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside her quarter in LNJP Colony of central Delhi. Police said the deceased was identified as Nirmala, who was working at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital and lived in the staff quarters. The motive behind the murder has not been ascertained yet. The police are investigating the case from several angles. 

Nurse Nirmala Devi’s body was found in the bathroom of quarter number 108, with her head immersed in a tub of water. Another bucket filled with water was found placed over her head. She belonged to Sonipat in Haryana and lived alone in the quarter. 

She was working in LNJP Hospital for the past 20 years. The body was discovered by her brother, Anand Kumar, who had come to take Nirmala home for the weekend. When he arrived, he found that the door was locked from outside. He broke open the door and discovered Nirmala’s body in the bathroom. ‘She used to come home by 7 pm on every weekend. On Saturday, when she didn’t pick up any call till 8 pm, I was worried and rushed to her place,’ said Anand Kumar.

But Nirmala was dressed in a nightwear, so there are chances that this weekend she had no plans to go home, said a police official.

Anand called up the police at around 9:40 pm, who reached immediately and rushed the body to the hospital where Nirmala was declared ‘brought dead’.

Police said she had returned to her quarters after an early shift on Saturday. ‘But other hospital staff said that Nirmala didn’t report on Saturday and they had assumed that she must have left early for home this weekend,’ said Anand. 

Police are also suspecting the role of a person who knew her and was allowed inside the quarter, 

because there was no sign of breaking in. 

The neighbours also did not hear anything that suggested a conflict or scuffle. 

Police also added that Nirmala’s shelf was found to be disorganised but it did not necessarily mean that she was killed in a robbery attempt. ‘Also, since she went to her parental home every weekend, there are less chances that she had anything very expensive in her quarters. However, we haven’t ruled out the robbery angle yet,’ said a police official. ‘Nirmala’s sister used to come to her place frequently and she told the police that some of her belongings – including some cash, jewellery, ATM card and documents regarding the court case of the legal custody of her son – were missing after the incident,’ said Anand Kumar. From preliminary investigations it appears that she was suffocated to death, said police.

In 1999, Nirmala was married to a farmer named Mehru Lal, who was from Pughthala village in Sonipat, Haryana. Two of her sisters were married in the same family. She was allegedly beaten up regularly by her in-laws for dowry. Finally, in 2004, she separated from her husband and moved to Lampur Village in outer Delhi’s Narela with her son, who was later forcefully taken away by her in-laws, said another relative.