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Journalism of Courage
She blamed a robber for her husband’s murder. Then Delhi cops checked CCTV
The robbery story began to unravel after police found CCTV footage and call records linking the victim's wife to a man seen entering the house.
Police said the couple’s son was not home. He had gone to take part in the recently concluded Kanwar Yatra.
In the early hours of Monday, 55-year-old builder Munna Lal was found dead at his home in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar. His wife, Manju alias Nazia (45), told police she had heard a commotion, stepped out of her room and saw him bleeding on the floor.
Manju claimed a robber had sneaked into the house, ransacked it and killed Munna. Their son was away at the time, having gone to take part in the recently concluded Kanwar Yatra, police said.
The woman appeared devastated.
A case was registered and a probe launched. But there was little evidence of a robbery — and as police dug deeper, they began to suspect that Munna’s death was not what Manju had made it out to be.
CCTV key clue
Police first checked footage from CCTV cameras installed around Munna’s house and saw a masked man entering the house around 1.45 am and leaving around 3.15 am.
They then scanned call detail records of the victim’s family members and found that Manju had been in constant touch with one man. He was later identified as Chaman who was seen in the CCTV footage, they said.
“Forensic examination and technical surveillance followed. Manju was questioned. She and Chaman were subsequently nabbed,” a police officer said.
‘Murder they wrote’
Explaining their role, police said that what they committed was not a crime of passion but a calculated, planned murder. They added that Manju had roped in her 20-year-old friend, Chaman, who works as a mechanic, promising him Rs 5 lakh for the job.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said she even paid Rs 20,000 to Chaman on the night of the murder.
Police said Munna and Manju — who were married for 22 years — were frequently at odds. Manju allegedly fought with her husband over money.
Officers said that sending her son for Kanwar Yatra was also part of Manju’s plan.
“On August 9, Chaman handed Manju sleeping pills. She ground the pills and mixed those in Munna Lal’s food. When he fell into a deep sleep, the two allegedly attacked him. They thrashed the victim, strangled him with a rope and administered electric shocks to make sure he was dead,” a police officer said.
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The accused then cleaned the crime scene to hide and destroy evidence, police said. In a bid to stage the incident as a robbery-cum-murder, they made the house untidy to make it look like it had been ransacked.
The officer said Chaman’s friend Kishan has also been detailed for allegedly harbouring him. Police are yet to ascertain if he had played any other role.
DCP Mittal said the motive appears to be financial discord and an extramarital relationship which Manju had got involved in. “The manner in which the crime was planned and executed indicates premeditation,” he said, adding further probe is underway.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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