Delhi: Forensics student kills live-in partner, fabricates crime scene
What's the story
The Delhi Police have arrested three people in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirant, Ram Kesh Meena. The accused include Amrita Chauhan, a 21-year-old Bachelor of Science student in Forensic Science; her ex-boyfriend Sumit Kashyap (27), an LPG gas cylinder distributor; and Sandeep Kumar (29), a Staff Selection Commission/Combined Graduate Level exam aspirant. All three are residents of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.
Scene details
The incident was reported as fire accident
The crime took place on the intervening night of October 5-6 at a flat in Gandhi Vihar. A fire was reported on the fourth floor of E-60, Gandhi Vihar, Delhi, which was later extinguished by local police and fire services. The charred body of Meena was found at the scene and shifted to Hindu Rao Hospital's mortuary for identification.
Evidence collection
Amrita's mobile location placed her near crime scene
Police, however, retrieved CCTV footage from the building that showed two people with muffled faces entering and one leaving after 39 minutes. Amrita was also seen leaving the building around 02:57am with another person. Mobile location data from Amrita's phone placed her near E-Block Gandhi Vihar during the incident, raising suspicion about her involvement in Meena's death.
Confession and motive
Amrita confessed to killing Meena
Amrita was arrested on October 18 after multiple raids in Moradabad. She confessed to killing Meena with her ex-boyfriend, Kashyap, and Kumar, alleging that Meena had obscene videos of her which he refused to delete. The hard disk containing these videos was recovered by the police along with other belongings of the deceased.
Crime details
Police still probing the case further
The trio allegedly strangulated and assaulted Meena before pouring oil, ghee, and alcohol on his body to stage a fire accident. "She was pursuing forensic science and later shifted to a computer science course. She knew how to mislead investigators and planned the fire to destroy evidence," the Hindustan Times quoted a police officer as saying. The police said that further forensic information is underway, and the final cause of death will be confirmed after the viscera report.