Juvenile arrested for murder of septuagenarian woman

THE ACCUSED USED TO DELIVER VEGETABLES TO THE 79-YEAR-OLD WOMAN’S HOUSE, WHICH IS WHY HE WAS GRANTED ENTRY

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Sunday apprehended a boy for murdering a 79-year-old woman inside her house in central Delhi’s Rajendra Nagar on Saturday, deputy commissioner of police (central) Shweta Chauhan said.

The DCP said the juvenile suspect was apprehended from his “hideout” in Rajendra Nagar, and added that the investigators recovered a set of blood-stained clothes that were apparently worn by the suspect when he murdered the elderly woman.

Chauhan said the boy used to deliver vegetables to the deceased, Kusum Singhal’s house, and that is why he was allowed entry to the house by the victim.

“The police team has apprehended one juvenile along with the woman’s mobile phone, a few sets of artificial jewellery, and Rs 2000 that the boy stole from her house. Our team has also recovered his blood-stained clothes and shoes. The police are further investigating if anybody else helped him, or involved in any way in the commission of the offence,” DCP Chauhan said.

The suspect allegedly beaten the elderly woman to death with a brick, the police said. Her husband died a few years ago, and she lived alone. She is survived by two daughters, one of whom lives in south Delhi, while the other lives in Switzerland.

DCP Chauhan said on Saturday afternoon, one of Singhal’s daughters was not able to get in touch with her over the phone, and contacted Singhal’s neighbour. The police did not reveal which daughter made the call.

Around 2.10pm, the neighbour went to Singhal’s house and saw that the main door was ajar. She found her body with injury marks on the head, the police said.