Senior citizen murder: Cops suspect habitual offenders,utility workers

“We suspect that an ex-employee may have had something to do with this. We are looking at air-condition mechanics and other utility repairmen as suspects in the case. We are trying to draw up a list of all such people who visited the house of the victim,” said Nangre- Patil.

He said the police are speaking to the security guard of the building and other residents to draw up a pool of suspects.

“As part of our investigations we are speaking to other residents of Shanti Niwas where the victim,her son and daughter-in-law resided. This will help us form a list of people who may have had something to do with the case,” said Nangre-Patil.

He added that the work seemed to be the handiwork of habitual offenders. “The lock on the door was tampered with. The accused gained entry inside and managed to kill Ghodi and also escape with cash and ornaments worth Rs 3.63 lakh. This was done without being caught as the son and daughter-in-law shared the same main door and were in the other flat. The person who did this may have had a prior criminal record,” Nangre-Patil said.

Nangre-Patil said although a list of suspects was being drawn,it was too early to rule out any angle. “All angles are being investigated in the case. It is too early to comment on anything. We have to be open to all possibilities in the case,” he said.

Officers were tight-lipped about whether property dispute was behind the murder. The medical reports of Ghodi said she died after her spleen was ruptured by the assailant.