Suspect strangled wife in her sleep, stabbed her: Cops

NEW DELHI: A day after a 33-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and brother-in-law at Shakarpur in east Delhi, investigators on Thursday said the suspect first strangled the woman in her sleep and then stabbed her multiple times with a screwdriver.

The suspect, Shriyansh Kumar, allegedly killed his wife Kamlesh Holkar, 30, and then murdered her brother Ram Pratap Singh, 17. Police found their bodies in separate rooms in his second-floor house.

Police earlier said that Singh was killed as he walked in on his sister’s murder, but the exact reason was yet to be ascertained, officers said on Friday.

The matter was reported to police by Kumar’s father, who said that there was some “quarrel in the house and people were injured”.

According to police, Kumar had a fight with his wife on Tuesday night after she found out that Kumar was stalking a woman that he had known in college.

“Kumar had sent the woman some money. When Holkar confronted him, the two fought.

The fight happened in front of Kumar’s father. The family called the woman, who stays in Punjab, and she said she never spoke to Kumar. She also promised to return the money,” said an officer aware of the case.

Investigators said the couple had a strained marriage since the beginning.

“They got married three years ago. He had quit his job about four months ago and the unemployment made the marriage worse. After the fight, he woke up in the middle of the night and strangled Holkar using a belt. He then stabbed her using the screwdriver. There were also injuries on her genitalia,” said the investigator cited above.

Meanwhile, Holkar’s father also filed a complaint alleging that his daughter was a victim of domestic violence.

“The family used to beat her up and ask for dowry,” said a relative, on condition of anonymity.

A senior police officer confirmed that additional sections have been added to the existing FIR, registered under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code. Police have been questioning the family as well, they said.