New Delhi: A demand to vacate an ancestral property in West Bengal’s Bardhaman allegedly led a couple to hatch a plan to murder Delhi University professor Debosmita Paul at her residence in east Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave in June, police have stated in their chargesheet.The couple allegedly took about 15 minutes to enter the society, kill Paul, change clothes and leave. The change of clothes, however, gave them away. Their young son, who was present at the spot, has been made a witness in the case.The chargesheet, filed in the first week of Sept, contains statements from more than 40 witnesses and runs into over 300 pages. The couple were booked for murder, criminal conspiracy, impersonation and other offences.Paul and her mother jointly owned an ancestral property spread over more than 1,000 square yards in Bardhaman. The accused couple had been living as tenants on the ground floor, with the rent deposited into Paul’s and her mother’s joint bank account. Paul had visited the property with her mother last year and told the couple they would have to vacate it. She initially asked them to leave by June and reiterated the demand on the phone in March this year.Police alleged that the husband, who works at a hardware shop, discussed the issue with his wife and they decided to kill Paul so they could continue living on the property. They allegedly believed other members of Paul’s family had little interest in the property and that they could eventually take control of it.The husband allegedly travelled to Delhi three times before the murder for a recce, observing Paul’s routine, residence and educational activities, the chargesheet states. On June 2, the couple travelled from Bardhaman to Delhi along with their son, aged 10, checked into a hotel, and allegedly carried out the murder the following day. They rang Paul’s doorbell, knowing she was familiar with them, and told her they had come to discuss the Bardhaman property. Once inside, they handed their young son a phone and went into another room.The accused allegedly attacked Paul on the head with a mortar before repeatedly striking her face and slitting both her wrists. Their son heard the commotion and entered the room, where he witnessed the incident, police said.Investigators said the entire sequence — from the point the accused entered the society till they carried out the murder, changed clothes and then left — took about 15 minutes. To evade detection, the duo allegedly changed their clothes at Paul’s house. They also used fake Aadhaar cards during their stay at the hotel.Police analysed footage from more than 500 CCTV cameras during the investigation. Footage from Paul’s society showed a masked couple entering around 3.20pm with a child and later leaving, with the two adults having changed clothes and the child still wearing the same clothes.Investigators questioned the cab driver who had dropped the family near Dallupura and traced their movements to the hotel where they had stayed. Hotel records showed the man was from Bihar and the woman from Bardhaman, prompting police to examine their links to the property.The couple was later traced to Anand Vihar. Instead of taking a train from there, they travelled to New Delhi railway station before boarding a train for Bardhaman. A police team reached Bardhaman, where investigators traced a scooter allegedly used by the accused, conducted door-to-door searches at more than 100 houses, and finally arrested the couple. The child was produced as a ‘child in need of care and protection’ before the Child Welfare Committee and his custody given to his relatives.
