Sacked, evicted, ex-driver kills DU professor’s wife

NEW DELHI: A 31-year-old man was arrested for allegedly strangling and electrocuting the wife of his former employer, a Delhi University assistant professor, in Burari’s West Sant Nagar, with police saying that he held a grudge against her for removing him from the job and evicting his family from their house.

Police said they are also examining the role of the victim’s in-laws after her family expressed suspicions about their involvement.

Police said the alleged accused, identified as Rakesh, used to work as a driver for the victim’s husband, Virender Kumar, who is an assistant professor at Ramjas College.

Rakesh, who lived with his wife in the couple’s house in West Sant Nagar before being evicted in August, was arrested from the locality after a police patrol team found him acting suspicious and questioned him, police said.

The victim, Pinky Singh, married Kumar in February this year, and moved to her in-laws’ house in July.

Police said Rakesh allegedly killed Singh because she had evicted his family from the house, and also asked him to return her husband’s Wagon R car that he was using as a taxi. Rakesh also alleged that Kumar owed him around ₹3 lakh.

However, the victim’s family said they also suspect the role of her in-laws in the murder, pointing out that they had filed a complaint at Burari police station in August, seeking police protection for her as they feared her in-laws and driver Rakesh may be plotting her murder.

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said, “Rakesh held the woman responsible for becoming unemployed and also for evicting him and his wife from the house. So he planned to take revenge. He killed her when her husband and mother-in-law had gone to a hospital. The [murdered] woman’s 84-year-old bed-ridden father-inlaw was at home, but he didn’t hear anything as he’s hearingimpaired.”

DCP Kalsi said that the murder came to light around 7pm on Monday when constable Bhim of Burari police station spotted Rakesh in the locality, on 100 Feet Road, acting suspicious and questioned him.

He allegedly confessed to the murder, following which the constable brought him to the police station. Later, some policemen accompanied Rakesh to the house, and found the woman lying on the bed. She was sent to a hospital, where she was declared dead.

Singh’s brother, Manvir Singh, said that her sister feared for her life and often told him that she should be considered dead or in deep trouble if she did not respond to phone calls or messages.

DCP Kalsi said, “All allegations will be looked into. We have not given a clean chit to anybody.”