Gurgaon: A cook employed at a five-star hotel in south Delhi allegedly strangled his pregnant wife and staged the crime scene to resemble a robbery in an attempt to divert investigators.Ranjeet Kumar was arrested two days after Namita, 29, was found dead at their Greenfield Colony home in Faridabad as police found his statements to be suspicious. On Friday, Kumar was produced before a local court, which remanded him to six days of police custody.On the intervening night of July 21-22, the couple got into an argument after Kumar suspected Namita of speaking to another man on the phone. In a fit of rage, he strangled her with her chunni (dupatta), Kumar told police.A police officer said, “Kumar then left for work at 4.19am for the hotel, leaving with the jewellery from the house and hiding it elsewhere to create the impression that unidentified burglars had entered the house, stolen valuables and killed his wife.”The body was seen by his mother at 9.50am on Wednesday and was rushed to the hospital. Soon, the accused also reached the hospital and told the police the fictional story.“After the woman’s family reached the hospital, Kumar narrated the same story to them. Initially, the family believed him and his family. However, they grew suspicious over the circumstances of her death,” the officer added.Her father Shiv Narayan alleged that Namita, who was eight-month pregnant, was subjected to mental and physical harassment over dowry since her marriage in Nov 2025. He also told police that his daughter had visible marks on her neck and accused her husband and in-laws of murdering herAn FIR was registered under provisions related to dowry death at Surajkund police station on Wednesday and the investigation was transferred to the crime branch, NIT.Investigators examined the crime scene, analysed technical and circumstantial evidence and questioned Kumar. Police said inconsistencies in his version and the evidence collected during the investigation led to his confession. Kumar was arrested on Friday.Besides trying to recover the concealed jewellery, police are gathering evidence related to the murder. Police are also examining the role of other family members in the incident.
