A 63-year-old pharmaceutical trader was allegedly murdered at his Kanpur residence after his daughter-in-law hired a domestic worker for Rs 6 lakh to eliminate him, police said. The businessman, identified as Viniet Minocha, was stabbed 26 times in the attack.
Police arrested Minocha’s 36-year-old daughter-in-law, Shalu, after the alleged assailant, Vishal, reportedly confessed to carrying out the killing at her behest.
According to police, Shalu was unhappy with restrictions allegedly imposed by her father-in-law, including monitoring through CCTV and control over household expenses. She reportedly told investigators that despite belonging to a wealthy family, she had to seek money from Minocha even for small expenses.
Servant allegedly hid inside flat before attack
The murder took place at the Ratan Orbit apartment complex in Kanpur’s Kalyanpur area on Saturday night. Police said Shalu and her husband, Subrat, left for a party with their child while Minocha remained alone at the flat.
Before their departure, Vishal and his associate Raj Kishore allegedly entered the apartment after Shalu gave security personnel permission to let them in, claiming they had brought medicines.
Police said the two men used a duplicate key provided by Shalu and hid inside the flat. When Minocha later entered his son’s bedroom while checking the rooms, he allegedly discovered the two men. The accused then attacked him, with Vishal allegedly slitting his throat.
Call records raise suspicion
Investigators found that Shalu and Vishal had spoken around 35-40 times between July 1 and the day of the murder. On the day of the incident alone, they allegedly spoke 14 times, with their conversations continuing until late at night.
Police said Shalu had initially attempted to mislead investigators before allegedly confessing. Her husband Subrat has not been found to have any role in the murder so far, although police have questioned him.
The investigation is also examining the apartment’s security arrangements and CCTV footage.
