A 45-year-old woman allegedly plotted her husband's murder with her 20-year-old lover, who, along with an associate, strangled the man, gave him electric shocks and beat him with a wooden stick before dumping his body near his house in south Delhi's Sangam Vihar, police said on Wednesday.
Police arrested Manju alias Nazia, her lover Chaman and his 28-year-old associate Kishan in connection with the killing of Nazia's husband, Munna Lal. Police alleged that Nazia sedated Lal before the two men attacked him.
₹5 Lakh promise for murder
According to police, Nazia persuaded Chaman to help kill her husband by promising him ₹5 lakh. Police said she gave him ₹20,00 immediately after the killing. The amount stated by police appears unclear and requires verification.
The killing came to light on Aug 10 when police received information at 5.15 am about a man's body lying in the south Delhi area.
"Munna Lal was found dead at the spot, with several injury marks on his body," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said at a press conference.
Police alleged that Nazia mixed a sedative in water and gave it to Lal to incapacitate him. Mittal said Chaman had allegedly provided her with sleeping pills to administer to her husband on the night of the killing.
CCTV punctures burglary story
Investigators said Nazia initially tried to mislead them by claiming that burglars had killed her husband during a break-in. Police alleged that she scattered items around the house and removed some belongings to make the burglary claim appear credible.
However, footage from a CCTV camera mounted outside the house showed a masked man entering at about 1.45 am and leaving at about 3.15 am the same night. Police said other evidence also pointed to a pre-planned murder, PTI reports.
When investigators confronted Nazia with the evidence, she confessed, according to Mittal.
Sedated, strangled and beaten
Police alleged that after Lal fell asleep, he was strangled, given electric shocks and beaten with a stick to ensure he was dead. Chaman and Kishan allegedly carried out the attack.
Mittal said the motive was rooted in frequent domestic disputes, financial troubles, physical assault and humiliation allegedly faced by Nazia. Police also said her relationship with Chaman contributed to her disaffection with her husband.
The allegations paint a grim picture of a troubled marriage culminating in a carefully planned killing. However, the police version remains subject to investigation and judicial scrutiny.
Police arrested Nazia, Chaman and Kishan and recovered ₹15,000 from them.
An investigation is under way to establish the complete sequence of events.
