4 held for strangling a woman to death

A woman, her two and another person were arrested for allegedly strangling a 29-year-old woman to death and later dumping her body in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area, police said Friday.

The accused, Urmila (45), killed the victim, Roshna, as she failed to repay the money she had borrowed from the woman, police said Friday. Urmila and three other suspects, Hemant Jain (25), Shubham (20) and Sumit (22), are all residents of Than Singh Nagar.

On Friday, the body of Roshna was found lying near a bus stand in Arya Samaj Mandir with strangulation marks over neck and hands. Her legs were tied with a rope and clothes, said Mandeep Singh Randhawa, deputy commissioner of police (central).

It was learnt that Roshna received the last call on Thirusday night from a particular number, which registered on the name of a woman. Subsequently, a raid was conducted Friday at the residence of the suspected woman. But the woman was not found at her house, the DCP said.

However, after a few hours, the accused identified as Urmila and her accomplices were also apprehended from a nearby house, he added.

Urmila confessed about her involvement in crime. Urmila told police that she, along with her two sons, Shubham and Sumit, hired Hemant Jain for assisting in them in committing the offence, the officer said.

The stick used in commission of the crime, gold chain of the victim and bed sheet used to carry the body were recovered from her house, the officer added.

During interrogation, Urmila disclosed that about five-six months ago, she had taken a loan of Rs 14 lakh from Roshna on high-interest rate. She paid some interest amount for a few months, but was unable to return the borrowed money, the DCP said.

The accused said Roshna was apparently putting pressure on her to return the amount, following which Urmila hatched a conspiracy to commit the crime, he said.

Jain had borrowed Rs 50,000 from Urmila, but he was not able to repay the same. So, she offered to give him Rs 2 lakh for committing the crime, Randhawa said.

On Thursday evening, Urmila called Roshna at her house. When the victim reached there, all the accused tied her legs and hands with rope and clothes and strangulated her to death, he said.

They took out her gold chain, covered the body in a bed sheet, carried the body on their scooter and dumped it behind Arya Samaj Mandir on DBG Road in Karol Bagh on the same night. The accused, then fled from the spot, he added.

Urmila is a housewife. Her sons, Shubham and Sumit, were running an eatery in Than Singh Nagar for the past one month. While her husband works as a security guard in Moti Nagar, police said.