Lajpat Nagar: 62-yr-old woman alone at home murdered

THIRD SUCH ATTACK ON ELDERLY THIS MONTH

A 62-YEAR-OLD woman who lived alone at her residence in Lajpat Nagar was murdered Sunday. This is the third instance of a senior citizen being targeted in similar circumstances this month. Police suspect robbery as the motive for the murder, as the victim’s family claimed cash and jewellery worth nearly Rs 10 lakh was missing from the house.

The crime came to light around 3 pm when Ajay found his mother Vimla Ahuja lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen of her first floor flat at Lajpat Nagari. She lived with her husband, Ashok Ahuja, who was away at their handbags shop in Central Market, said police.

“The entry could be friendly but the role of an outsider cannot be ruled out at this stage. A case of murder has been registered at Lajpat Nagar police station,” said DCP Mandeep Singh Randhawa. He added that the police had leads and the accused would be arrested soon.

Ajay lives on the fourth floor of the same building with his wife and daughter. He was returning to their shop after having lunch and visited his parents’ flat to pick up some articles. “His mother had kept the door open. He picked up the articles he wanted and was about to leave when he called her to say he was leaving. When he did not get a response, he got suspicious and entered the kitchen,” said a relative. “He found her lying on the floor and saw there was an injury on her head,” the relative added. “Vegetables and utensils were lying on the floor. It appears a heavy pan-like object was used to hit her.”

The senior citizen’s granddaughter had come to her for some eatables about half an hour before she was found dead, said sources. Police have not given a clean chit to the employees of the family’s shop. No CCTV was found installed in the lane in which the house is located, said police.

Express Vimla Ahuja, 62.