Elderly woman’s body found, loot and murder suspected

We have detained some pavement dwellers and quizzing them about the incident. The footages of CCTVs installed in the areas are also being scanned to get some clues.

IP SINGH, inspector of Chowk police station

LUCKNOW: Yet another case of crime against elderly was reported in the city when the body of a 65-year-old woman was found here in Old city area on Tuesday.

The woman had set up a temporary Rakhi shop on the pavement near Yasoda College in Chowk and her body was found lying near the shop.

In past four months, this is the ninth incident in which an elderly has been murdered.

The woman’s 35-year-old son has raised suspicion of rape bid with his mother, as her clothes were torn. He alleged the assailants murdered his mother after failing in their rape bid. The postmortem report however, has initially ruled out with the possibility of rape or rape bid. Cops are further probing the matter after registering an FIR against unidentified assailants and have send have the body for postmortem.

Inspector of Chowk police station, IP Singh said preliminary probe suggested that it could be the handiwork of drug addicts or labourers sleeping on pavements in nearby areas. He said they might have murdered the woman apparently with an intent of loot. “We have detained some pavement dwellers and quizzing them about the incident. The footages of CCTV installed in the areas are also being scanned to get some clues,” Singh said.

The incident came to light when some passersby spotted the woman lying near the Rakhi shop and alerted the local police. The victim often used to sleep near the shop after having meal at her house at some distance. The police probe revealed that she was last spotted alive when she had a meal with her son at around 12.30am on Wednesday.

The inspector said the deceased had injury marks on her face and blood was oozing out from her nose and mouth. He said the postmortem report had also confirmed that she was smothered to death. He said the injuries marks suggested that she struggled before succumbing to the assailants. He said the initial suspicion is on some pavement dwellers but police were also questioning her son who owns a betel shop barely 100 metres from the crime scene, about any previous enmity or any other dispute.