A 72-year-old woman, the wife of a retired Army captain, was killed allegedly by their domestic help after an argument over some missing jewellery in Panchkula, police said on Tuesday. The body of Neera Mehta was recovered from the rooftop of a house in Sector-21, Panchkula, on Monday.
The police said they solved the murder of the elderly woman within 24 hours and arrested the three accused, including the maid, her husband, and son. Panchkula DCP Aditi Singh told reporters that on Monday, retired Army captain Manmohan Lal Mehta, a resident of Panchkula, lodged a complaint at Sector-21 police post.
He stated in the complaint that his wife, Neera Mehta, had gone to the house of their domestic help in Sector-21 after suspecting her of stealing jewellery from their home after which she did not return. The police immediately reached the domestic help’s house that was locked from outside and found the woman’s body wrapped in a mat lying on the rooftop of an adjoining house.
A case was registered at Sector-20 police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During a swift investigation, the Sector-21 police post team arrested main accused maid Sunita, her husband Shankar, and their son Raja from Panchkula. Initial probe found that an argument over the suspected theft turned into a physical scuffle, during which the elderly woman died.
The accused told the police that they have been living in Panchkula for several years. DCP Singh said that all three accused will be produced before a court in Panchkula on Wednesday to seek police remand. The police have also appealed to all senior citizens living alone to contact the helpline, their nearest police station, or the concerned police post and get their domestic helps verified.
So far, 170 senior citizens living alone have been identified in Panchkula. Commissioner of Police Pankaj Nain had earlier launched a special helpline — 9115777026 — for senior citizens living alone in Panchkula, through which they can get their domestic helps verified by the police and seek immediate assistance whenever required.
