- The murder of Delhi University professor Debosmita Paul was solved in three days
- A couple from West Bengal was arrested for the killing over a property dispute
- The killers traveled 1,400 km from Burdwan to carry out the murder in East Delhi
The murder of a Delhi University professor has been solved within just three days, with the arrest of a couple from West Bengal. The killers had travelled nearly 1,400 km from Bengal to execute the murder allegedly over a property dispute.
Debosmita Paul, an assistant professor at Shivaji College, was found murdered in her flat at Satyam Apartments in East Delhi's Vasudhara Enclave on Wednesday. Successive raids eventually led the cops to Bardhaman in Bengal, from where they arrested Ramprasad Das and Banshree Das.
Police sources said their minor son has also been detained. The Das couple will be produced before a local court, where Delhi Police is expected to seek a transit remand to take them to Delhi for further investigation, they added.
The Murder
Officials said the killers were residents of Bardhaman. They had visited Delhi under the pretext of meeting the victim. Paul had separated in 2022, five years into the marriage, and had been living alone in the flat while her husband was in Bengaluru.
On Wednesday, the accused were caught on CCTV visiting her flat wearing masks. They arrived in a private cab with some bags and used the stairs to reach the sixth floor. They brought their minor son along to avoid raising suspicion. They had a friendly entry in the house and murdered the victim using a weapon that they had brought with them, officials said.
The killers returned about 30 minutes later after changing clothes and left in a cab that had been waiting downstairs, sources said. The cab driver was detained, and his ride details were accessed to identify the passengers.
At least 13 suspects were shortlisted from 200 individuals who had visited the housing complex on Wednesday and were questioned. Seven police teams also held raids across four states and questioned hundreds of people. This helped them crack the case. The killers were eventually arrested in Bardhaman and are now being interrogated.
Read: 2 Masked Visitors, 30 Minutes: Probe Into Delhi Professor's Murder
The Motive
The victim owned a property in West Bengal that she had inherited after her maternal grandfather's death. The property was worth crores of rupees. The accused were tenants in that house and had been trying to acquire it. However, Paul had been pressuring them to vacate. This made the couple plot the victim's murder in a bid to acquire her property, officials said.
Paul's Sister Found Her Body
On Thursday, Paul's sister Devarati informed the cops that her sister had been found dead. Police said that her flat had been locked from the outside. Devarati had to break into her house after repeated calls to her sister went unanswered.
Paul was found dead inside with a deep injury on her head and severed veins in her wrist, officials said, adding that there was no sign of robbery since jewellery and cash were found untouched in the house.
A murder case was filed, and an investigation was launched.
