South Delhi Doctor Murder Case: 60-year-old help among three arrested

New Delhi: A house help working for 24 years is alleged to be the mastermind behind the gruesome murder of a 63-year-old general physician in Delhi's Jangpura. The police have arrested the latter along with two of her aids in connection with the murder.  

The accused have been identified as Basanti, the house help from Nepal, her brother Akash Joshi and Himanshu, a priest at Haridwar's Birla Ghat. Besides the arrest of these three accused, at least 5 people are absconding including Basanti's friend.

The Delhi Police team probing the incident found that Basanti, who is in her early sixties, had beforehand shown her associates the inside of the house through video calls using a messenger application for the smooth execution of the crime.

Medical Dialogues team recently reported that Dr Yogesh Chander Paul, a 63-year-old physician was murdered by four men who broke into his house, tied his hands and feet up, and strangled him to death on May 10.  

Also read- Murder In South Delhi: Elderly Physician Found Tied Up, Strangled To Death On Kitchen Floor At His Residence

The doctor’s body was discovered by his wife who was away when the intruders broke into their house, situated in a relatively quiet area and committed the heinous act. The intruders also locked the doctor's two dogs in the bathroom.

He was found dead on the kitchen floor with his hands and feet tied up. Preliminary reports suggest that there were visible signs of strangulation on his neck and indications of physical assault on his face.

According to police, the accused beat up Paul, gagged him and tied him to a chair. They dragged the chair with Paul tied to it to the kitchen where they hit him on the head with a blunt object and strangulated him with a dog leash.

The accused had locked Paul's two dogs in the bathroom. They then ransacked the house before fleeing, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Rajesh Deo said, "Basanti, who is the mastermind of this murder, used to video call her associates to show them the inside of the house. Her aides already knew how the house of the doctor looked from inside and where they could execute their plan."

The DCP asserted that the identity verification of domestic help is an important step for everyone.

The police said the family members of Paul never suspected Basanti as she had been working with their family for the last 24 years.

While Basanti and two of her aides have been arrested, a hunt for at least five others is underway in connection with the doctor's murder, they said.

"Basanti's friends Varsha, Bheem, Vishwaroop Sai and two Nepal citizens are still on the run and we suspect that they have managed to cross the Nepal border. We have formed different teams who are working round the clock and the rest of the accused will be arrested soon," Deo said.

Describing the incident, the DCP said, "After his wife first noticed the body in kitchen, she informed the police about the matter and teams reached the spot. We checked the CCTV footage and later got to know that six people came out of his house in batches of two."

"After the incident, Basanti was missing and our team arrested her first, She broke down during interrogation and revealed the entire matter," he said.

As per a TOI news report, the accused Basanti dreamed of living a luxury life after enduring a miserable life. Having been a house help to the doctor for many years, she was well aware of his wealth. To obtain it, she hatched a plan and secretly shared information with her associates, who allegedly had criminal backgrounds and unpaid debts. 

"CCTV footage confirmed that he was trailed by two people who also entered the house and later four more people in two different groups. Investigation revealed that the suspects stayed in a hotel in Delhi. They were carrying out reccee of the area from May 5 and killed the doctor on May 10. Our teams are working round the clock and the rest of the accused will be arrested soon," said the DCP.

"The breakthrough was the result of an analysis of the footage from over 100 cameras besides technical surveillance. Our teams were able to gather crucial leads within 12 hours of the crime and cracked the case within 24 hours," a senior officer told the Daily.

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