Ghaziabad Woman Asks Tenant Couple For Rent, Ends Up Dead In A Suitcase

A couple have been arrested in Ghaziabad near Delhi for allegedly murdering their landlady when she asked them to pay rent dues. The body of the landlady, Deepshikha Sharma (48), was recovered from a suitcase in the rented flat, after which the couple, Ajay Gupta and Akriti Gupta, were taken into custody. 

The incident occurred at the Aura Chimera residential complex in Ghaziabad's Raj Nagar Extension. According to police, Umesh Sharma and Deepshikha Sharma own two flats in the society. They live in one, and the other has been rented to the Guptas. Ajay Gupta, it is learnt, is in the transport business. 

The tenant couple had not paid rent for about four months, and Deepshikha, a teacher by profession, decided to confront them and ask them to pay. On Wednesday, she went to the Guptas' home. At the time, her husband was not home. When she did not return for hours, her maid, Meena, started looking for her. She went to the Guptas' home, but their answers raised suspicion. When Meena checked the CCTV footage of the building, they found that Deepshikha entered the Guptas' home, but did not exit the flat. The police were then called.

Around this time, the Guptas were seen leaving the building with a large suitcase. They had also called an auto-rickshaw, but before they could leave, the maid, Meena, stopped them. They were forced to return to their flat. "I told them that they cannot go anywhere till Didi is found," an inconsolable Meena said.

After the police came, the Guptas' home was searched, and a shocking revelation followed: Deepshikha Sharma's body was in a suitcase. It is suspected that when Deepshikha came to ask for rent, an altercation broke out during which the tenant couple murdered her, put the body in the suitcase, and would have disposed of it if the maid had not foiled their plan.

"I told her (Deepshikha) not to go to their home alone. I told her I would come with her. But she still went alone," Meena said.

According to the police, Deepshikha was first hit on the head with a pressure cooker and then strangled with a dupatta. Senior police officer Upasana Pandey said the police have received a complaint from Deepshikha's family and are registering a case under relevant sections.

A video shows the Guptas confessing to the murder. While Ajay Gupta tries to shield wife, Akriti, she says, "We did it together." Ajay Gupta also alleges that the landlady harassed them. 

Inputs by Pintu Tomar