A 42-year-old man, out on bail for allegedly sexually assaulting his four-year-old stepdaughter, stabbed his former wife and set her on fire in east Delhi’s Patparganj on Wednesday, in what police believe was a brutal act of revenge. Less than 24 hours later, he died by suicide, jumping off the 23rd floor of an under-construction building in Noida, police said.
The body of the 27-year-old woman was found with burn and stab injuries at her house in Patparganj village on Wednesday evening, HT had reported. Less than 24 hours later, the body of her former husband, an engineer and an MBA graduate, was found in Noida Sector 90. Police said he allegedly jumped off the 23rd floor of an under-construction building.
Initial investigations revealed that the man had been arrested in September last year for allegedly sexually assaulting the woman’s daughter from her first marriage. While in jail, she married another man, which, police said, further enraged him and deepened his grudge.
“He held her responsible not only for his arrest but also for his job loss and inability to rebuild his life,” said deputy commissioner of police (east) Abhishek Dhania.
The woman, a homemaker, was reportedly receiving threats from the accused, who demanded she withdraw the sexual assault case. She had communicated her fears to her current husband, who works as a spice trader, DCP Dhania said, citing allegations made by the woman’s husband.
Around 6pm on Wednesday, Pandav Nagar police received a distress call about a woman trapped inside a burning house. When officers arrived, they found her charred body between two beds. A medical examination at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital revealed she had suffered four stab wounds — one to the abdomen and three to the chest — before being set on fire.
A senior officer, speaking anonymously, said the attacker appeared to have poured kerosene on her body, likely in an attempt to stage the murder as a self-immolation.
A murder case was registered, and three teams were formed to track down the suspect. CCTV footage showed a man entering and leaving the house at the time of the attack. The victim’s husband later identified the suspect as her ex-husband, a resident of Malviya Nagar who had lost his job after his arrest last year.
“Our teams began tracking him through electronic surveillance,” said additional DCP (east) Vinit Kumar. “His phone was initially switched off, but on Thursday it pinged in Noida Sector 90.”
By 1.30pm, police reached the location and found that the man had allegedly jumped to his death from a high-rise under construction. Noida Police were already at the scene.
“On Thursday around 2pm, we received a call from a security guard at the building about a man who had died by suicide,” said assistant commissioner of police (central Noida) BS Vir Kumar. “We are investigating how he accessed the structure despite security.”
The victim’s daughter was not at home during the attack, and her whereabouts were not disclosed. Her current husband was away at work when the crime occurred.
Postmortem examinations are being conducted on both bodies, and investigations in Delhi and Noida are ongoing, ACP Kumar said.
Leave a Reply