New Delhi, February 21 A 35-year-old woman and her six-year-old daughter were found murdered inside their residence in the Sarita Vihar area of southeast Delhi, with police identifying a neighbor as the prime suspect and launching raids to apprehend him, an official said on Saturday.
A PCR call was received around 10:30 pm on Friday regarding the discovery of two bodies at a house in Aali Vihar, he said.
Police rushed to the spot and found the bodies of a middle-aged woman and a young girl concealed inside a box storage in the bedroom of the residence. The victims were rushed to AIIMS Hospital, where doctors declared them dead, the official said.
Multiple investigative teams have been deployed to probe the case. Teams from the Crime and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) have examined the scene and collected evidence, he added.
The deceased were identified as Jyoti (35) and her six-year-old daughter.
While initial medical examination did not reveal any external injuries, a post-mortem conducted on Saturday indicated strangulation and smothering as the cause of death. The final post-mortem report is awaited, police said.
Following preliminary investigation and local inquiries, Deen Dayal (35), an accountant residing in the same building, has been identified as the prime suspect in the case, officials said.
Police said a case is being registered under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Ajay Kumar Giri, a local and the victim's neighbor, said a husband and wife lived in the house with their three children. Two of the children were at school and were safe.
The absconding accused is said to be the 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 he (the husband) realized something was wrong, he broke open the gate and went inside," Giri said.
He further said when they entered the house, household items were scattered everywhere, but nothing appeared to be missing.
A thorough search of the house revealed the bodies hidden inside the bed, the neighbor said, adding that the police arrived around 10-11 pm.
Another neighbor, Mukesh Kamat, said the victim's husband returned around 9-9:30 pm and found the door closed from inside. "He knocked many times, but there was no response."
Some of their relatives had also arrived at the door, as the woman had been unreachable for the entire day, and the children were worried, Kamat said, adding that everything was scattered inside the house.
"Under the bed, the bodies of the mother and the youngest daughter were found," he said, adding that the police were informed after the discovery of the bodies.
"The body in the bed was that of the mother and the youngest daughter. The girl was around six years old, and the mother was about 35. The nephew is unmarried," he added.
Dedicated police teams are conducting raids at multiple locations to trace and arrest the accused, officials said, adding that further investigation is underway.
