One more person has been arrested in connection with the murder of a septuagenarian woman, who was killed by a group of armed robbers that had entered their house and robbed them in northeast Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The accused was identified as Soheb (23), a resident of Chauhan Banger locality, Shahdara.
Earlier, the police had arrested Zahid (22) and Nazim (23) in connection with the murder.
According to the police, on June 8, information was received regarding five to six persons, who had entered a house at street number-5 in Ambedkar Basti, Maujpur, and robbed the residents of the house at gunpoint following which a police team was deployed for the spot.
“Preliminary inquiry revealed that 70-year-old woman Shamim, her husband Abbas (70) and their tenant Zahid (22) suffered injuries and were shifted to a hospital, where Shamim was declared brought dead by the doctors,” said a senior police official.
“The house was in a ransacked condition. The forensic science laboratory and mobile crime teams were called at the crime scene for inspection and collection of exhibits,” the official added.
Based on inputs accessed through local sources, the tenant Zahid, Soheb and Nazim, a resident of Brahampuri, Delhi, were questioned.
“On sustained questioning, Zahid, Soheb and Nazim confessed that Zahid — the deceased’s nephew — was living with his mother in the same rented house on the first floor. They were operating a belt assembling unit within the premises. Nearly three years ago, Zahid had borrowed a loan of nearly Rs 10 lakh from the deceased to set up a business,” said Sandhya Swami, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast).
“The deceased was constantly pestering him (Zahid) to return the money. Frustrated with her daily harassment, he planned to loot the deceased and shared his plan with his friend Nazim who further introduced him to more associates,” Swami added.
Since March 23, the accused had already attempted twice to execute their plans but failed due to some issues.
“The available CCTV footage obtained so far has revealed that on the ill-fated day, four individuals entered the house with the intention of committing robbery. Zahid, who was already present inside the house at the time of the crime, played a role in keeping the gate open. As per the plan, he feigned unconsciousness during the course of the robbery,” said the official.
“Efforts are on to apprehend Zahid’s other accomplices and unravel the entire conspiracy,” the official added.
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