New Delhi, February 21 (PTI) A 35-year-old woman and her six-year-old daughter were found murdered inside their home in southeast Delhi’s Sarita Vihar area, with police identifying a neighbor as the prime suspect and launching raids to nab him, an official said on Saturday.
He said that a PCR call was received around 10.30 pm on Friday about the discovery of two bodies in a house in Ali Vihar.
Police rushed to the scene and found the bodies of a middle-aged woman and a young girl hiding inside a bed storage box in the residence. The victims were rushed to AIIMS Hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, the official said.
Multiple operational teams have been deployed to investigate the case. He added that the crime and forensic laboratory teams inspected the scene of the accident and collected evidence.
The deceased were identified as Jyoti (35) and her six-year-old daughter.
While the initial medical examination did not reveal external injuries, an autopsy conducted on Saturday indicated that the cause of death was strangulation and suffocation. The final post-mortem report is awaited, police said.
After a preliminary investigation and local investigation, Dean Dial, 35, an accountant residing in the same building, was identified as the prime suspect in the case, officials said.
A case is being registered under Section 103 (1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.
Ajay Kumar Giri, a resident of the area and the victim’s neighbor, said a husband and wife lived in the house with their three children. Two of the children had gone to school and were safe.
The neighbor accused of fleeing is said to be a nephew of the family.
He said the husband came home at night and saw two of his children sitting outside.
“The gate was closed for a long time and the children were sitting outside. When (the husband) realized something was wrong, he broke the gate and went inside,” Jerry said.
He added that when they entered the house, household items were scattered everywhere, but nothing was said to be missing.
The neighbor said that a careful inspection of the house revealed bodies hidden inside the bed, adding that the police arrived at around 10 to 11 p.m.
Another neighbour, Mukesh Kamat, said the victim’s husband returned around 9 to 9:30 pm and found the door locked from inside. “He knocked on the door several times but there was no response.”
Some of their relatives also arrived at the door as the woman was unreachable all day and the children were feeling anxious, Kamat said, adding that everything was scattered inside the house.
“The bodies of the mother and her youngest daughter were found under the bed,” he added, adding that the police were informed after the two bodies were discovered.
He added, “The body in the bed was that of the mother and her youngest daughter. The girl was about six years old and the mother was about 35 years old. The nephew is not married.”
Specialized police teams are conducting raids at multiple locations to track down and arrest the accused, officials said, adding that further investigations are underway.
