Two sons and the grandson of an 88-year-old man were arrested today for murdering the latter along with his daughter over a property dispute in north Delhi's Sarai Rohilla area, police said.
The arrests took place within 24 hours of the crime coming to light yesterday.
The two accused sons of elderly victim Hari Kishan Verma have been identified as Ajeet Singh Verma (61) and Vijay Singh Verma (58) with his grandson, Vikas Verma (21), being the third person arrested in the case. Vikas is Vijay's son, police said.
Hari Kishan and his daughter Rajbala (50) were found murdered at their residence yesterday, DCP (North) Madhur Verma said.
Hari Kishan, a freedom fighter and retired school teacher, used to stay in his ancestral house at Nimri village with his youngest son Arvind and daughter Rajbala, police said.
According to police, there was a dispute over property between Hari Kishan and Arvind on one hand and Ajeet and Vijay on the other for the ancestral house in Nimri Village.
On Wednesday, Ajeet and Vijay allegedly hatched a plan to kill Hari Kishan and also roped in Vikas. They went to the Nimri house in the evening when Arvind was not home and allegedly smothered both Hari Kishan and Rajbala.
After the incident, while Vikas hired an autorickshaw from Shastri Nagar Metro Station, Ajeet and Vijay rode a scooter to their residence in Saraswati Vihar, police said.
The murder was discovered when Arvind returned home.
Scores of neighbours were questioned and CCTV footage obtained from neighbouring premises, following which police zeroed in on the three accused. The trio later broke down during questioning, police said.
Police said that a case of forgery and cheating was registered in connection with the property at Sarai Rohilla police station in 2009 against Hari Kishan and Arvind on the basis of a complaint by Ajeet and Vijay.
Ajeet and Vijay own small-time jewellery shops in Nimri village on the premises of the ancestral property pursuant to orders of a civil court which had divided the property between the two parties, police said.
