On Sunday night, a 55-year-old man had a glass of water and went to sleep. The next morning, he was found in a pool of blood on a road in Sangam Vihar in Delhi. The police investigation has found that the man was sedated, strangled and given electric shocks by his wife, along with her lover and the lover's friend.
On August 10, at around 5 am, the police received a call regarding a man lying injured on the road in the Ratiya Marg area of Sangam Vihar. A police team was rushed to the spot, where the man, identified as Munna Lal, was found lying in a pool of blood with several injury marks on his body.
He was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he was declared dead. A case was registered, and an investigation was launched into the matter.
The investigation revealed that it was a well-orchestrated murder by the man's wife, 45-year-old Manju alias Nazia. She promised to pay Rs 5 lakh to her lover, Chaman - a mechanic at a shop near the couple's house -- to kill her husband.
On the preceding night, Chaman allegedly provided sleeping pills to Nazia, which she mixed with water and gave them to Munna Lal before the attack.
"After Munna Lal went to sleep, Chaman entered the house, strangled him with a rope, smothered him, and administered electric shocks, resulting in his death," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said.
Chaman (20) had a 28-year-old associate identified as Kishan.
Munna Lal was also allegedly beaten with a wooden stick to ensure that he was dead.
When police questioned Nazia, she tried to mislead the investigators by claiming that burglars had entered the house and killed her husband when he confronted them.
"She said there was a burglary attempt and when Munna Lal confronted the robbers, they killed him and she was sleeping at that time," Mittal said.
The police, however, found discrepancies in Nazia's statement. While attempts were made to hide evidence and remove blood stains, cops noticed that things were thrown around to make it look like a robbery had taken place.
CCTV footage from cameras outside the house showed a masked man entering the house at around 1:45 am and leaving at about 3:15 am.
"The moment we questioned her more; the woman broke down and confessed to the crime. She told the team that she murdered her husband with her lover Chaman and his associate," the DCP said.
After the murder, Nazia gave Rs 20,000 to Chaman.
The couple had been married for 22 years and had three children - two daughters and a son. The son, who usually lived with his father and never left him alone, was away on the night of the incident to participate in the Kanwar Yatra.
Munna Lal worked as a property dealer and was financially well-off, but Nazia allegedly complained that he did not give her money. She was unhappy in her marriage, the police said. This led to frequent arguments between the couple.
All three accused have been arrested and further investigation is underway.
