Woman murdered by friend in Alipur hotel room

NEW DELHI : A 33-year-old woman was murdered allegedly by her 21-year-old friend following an altercation during a birthday party organised at an OYO Hotel room in outer Delhi’s Alipur on Monday night.

The woman’s friend, Vikki Maan, who fled the hotel on Monday night after allegedly murdering her, was arrested from Alipur area in the afternoon, said the police.

Police said Maan has told them that while he was drinking alcohol with the woman in the hotel room she slapped her for no reason. “He slapped back. At this, the woman allegedly threw a glass containing alcohol at him. A scuffle broke out between the couple during which Maan allegedly strangled the woman,” said a police officer, requesting anonymity.

Police said the woman’s body was found on the bed with blood oozing out of her nose and mouth on Tuesday morning by the hotel staff. The couple had met each other on social media around a year ago and became friends, added the officer.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer north) Gaurav Sharma said on Tuesday around 10.30am, the Alipur police received a call that a woman was unconscious and bleeding in an OYO Flagship hotel room. A police team went there and rushed the woman to a nearby hospital where she was declared brought dead. Her body was moved to a government hospital mortuary for autopsy.

DCP Sharma said that the hotel staff told the police that the room was booked online in the woman’s name and a man had accompanied her to the hotel Monday. The identification documents that the couple had submitted at the hotel’s reception helped the police identify them. The woman’s family members in Khera Kalan near Alipur were informed about her death. She was married to another man and had two children.

A hotel staff told the media that the woman and Mann had visited the hotel six to seven times in the last five months. On Monday night, the staffer said, the couple had been playing songs loudly on the TV in the room.

“We did not mind the loud music since they were our regular customers and we knew they were celebrating birthday,” said the staffer.

Around midnight, the staffer said, he saw Maan leaving the hotel and asked him where he was going. “The man told me that he was going home and would return soon. He told us that his friend was there in the room,” the staffer added.

Around 10 am, the room attendant went to serve breakfast. When nobody opened the door despite repeated knocks at the door, he informed the hotel manager.

They opened the room using a master key and found the woman unconscious and bleeding on the bed. The manager informed the police about it. A murder case was registered and

Maan was arrested from Alipur area, the police said.

“We are extremely saddened by the incident and offer our deepest condolences to the bereaved family. The safety and security of our guests are of paramount importance to us,” an OYO spokesperson said in a press statement.

“OYO follows all protocols during check-in of guests including identity proofs and the entries in arrival and departure register. Relevant documents as required by the enforcement authorities have already been handed over to the concerned authorities. Since the matter is under investigation, we are cooperating with the authorities and are providing all possible support,’’ the spokesperson for the hotel aggregator said.