Rotting body found in Lajpat flat
NEWDELHI: The semi-decomposed body of a 30-year-old woman, with her wrist and throat slit, was found at her rented home at Lajpat Nagar Phase-4 in south Delhi on Monday evening.
The body was discovered at around 5 pm by the woman’s sister and brother-in-law, after they came to check on her as she was not responding to their calls.
A case of murder was registered against unknown persons at the Amar Colony police station. Police suspect the involvement of somebody known to the woman behind her murder.
By the time the body was found, it had started putrefying, suggesting she was murdered more than 48 hours ago, police said. They did not find any sign of sexual assault on her.
Romil Baaniya, deputy commissioner of police (southeast), said that the woman, identified as Pooja Paswan, was staying on rent in a single room on the second floor of the building for the last one-and-a-half-years. She earlier worked at a spa and cosmetic parlour in Lajpat Nagar. Prior to that, she used to sell bed sheets after buying them in bulk. She was unemployed for the past few months, said Baaniya.
A native of Patna in Bihar, Pooja was married to Sumit Paswan two years ago but had been working and living in Delhi alone. Her husband works for a mobile company in his home town in Patna. The police have learnt that the couple had been estranged ever since differences arose between them a few months into their wedding.
Pooja’s sister Rekha Paswan lives her husband Gautam Paswan and children in south Delhi’s Chhattarpur area. On Monday afternoon, Rekha said that a friend of Pooja called her saying the latter was not responding to calls since Sunday. “When I informed my husband that Pooja was not picking calls, he offered to drop me at her place, where we found her body on her bed. We informed the police,” said Rekha.
Police and forensic teams have sealed the crime scene. The teams have collected useful evidences and blood samples from the spot. The body was sent to AIIMS mortuary and autopsy will be conducted on Tuesday.
Police are trying to find out if Pooja’s husband was in Delhi between Friday and Monday. Some of her friends are also being questioned.