Woman’s body in red suitcase: Police question father, neighbourhood in shock

Police say the woman is in her 20s and the body had what appeared to be a head injury and a wound on the shoulder. They said an autopsy will make it clearer what led to the death.

The Southeast Delhi neighbourhood where she stayed is home to thousands of lower middle class families. When The Indian Express visited on Monday, the grandmother refused to speak about the incident, saying that members of the family who are in Mathura are the only ones who have knowledge of what may have happened.

In the lane where she stayed, her alleged murder was the main topic of conversation. Neighbours expressed shock at the turn of events, with their first clue that all was not well being a visit by a Uttar Pradesh police team.

“I was taking tuition classes when the police suddenly arrived and started showing missing person posters. After that, all of us found out about the matter. We never even got the impression that somebody was missing or dead at their house,” said a neighbour.

Another resident of the lane said, “I knew her, though not very well, as she used to go to the gym at the same time as my daughter and cross the street in front of our house. She was a nice person. In fact, I had seen the photos of the body on Friday itself, but I did not look closely as it was macabre. When the police came, I realised it was familiar, and it turned out to be her.”

Another neighbour, Divya, said, “The last time I saw her was earlier in the week. She used to go to a college and was pursuing B.Sc.”