NEW DELHI: A 55-year-old man was allegedly sedated, strangled and given electric shocks by his wife, her lover and his associate while he was asleep, before being beaten with a wooden stick to ensure he was dead.The said incident occurred in South Delhi’s Sangam Vihar area, police said on Wednesday.The man’s wife, 45-year-old Manju alias Nazia, allegedly mixed a sedative in water and gave it to her husband Munna Lal to incapacitate him.Her lover, 20-year-old Chaman, and his 28-year-old associate Kishan then allegedly entered the house and killed him before taking Rs 20,000 as promised and fleeing, news agency PTI reported.According to deputy commissioner of police (South) Anant Mittal, the deceased’s son, who usually stayed with his father and never left him alone, was away on the night of the incident to participate in the Kanwar Yatra.The couple had been married for 22 years and had three children, two daughters and a son, the officer said.Police received a PCR call around 5am on Monday about a man lying injured on the road in the Ratiya Marg area of Sangam Vihar.A police team rushed to the spot and found Munna Lal lying in a pool of blood with several injury marks on his body.He was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors declared him dead.A case was registered and an investigation was launched, PTI reported.According to the DCP, Nazia initially attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that burglars had entered the house and killed her husband after he confronted them.“She told police that there was a burglary attempt and when he confronted the burglars, they killed him and she was sleeping at that time,” Mittal said.However, the investigating team found discrepancies in her statement and noticed several things at the crime scene that appeared inconsistent with her version.Police also found that attempts had been made to clean the floor and remove blood traces.Articles inside the house had been removed or strewn around to make it appear as though a burglary had taken place.CCTV footage from cameras outside the house further raised suspicion.The footage showed a masked man entering the house around 1.45am and leaving at about 3.15am.“The moment we questioned her more, the woman broke down and confessed the entire case. She told the team that she murdered her husband with her lover Chaman and his associate,” the DCP said.Police said Chaman, a mechanic at a shop near the couple’s house, was allegedly in a relationship with Nazia.The investigation revealed that Nazia had promised to pay Chaman Rs 5 lakh to kill her husband and allegedly paid him Rs 20,000 after the murder.Chaman allegedly gave sleeping pills or some sedatives to Nazia, who mixed them in water and gave them to Munna Lal before the attack.“When he slept, he entered the house, strangled him with a rope, smothered him, and used electric shock, resulting in his death,” Mittal said, adding that an associate helped him throughout.Munna Lal was also allegedly beaten with a wooden stick to ensure he was dead, he said.After the murder, the three allegedly cleaned the house and then ransacked it again to make it appear as though a burglary had occurred, the officer said.Police said the motive appeared to stem from frequent domestic disputes and financial issues faced by Nazia.Munna Lal worked as a property dealer and was financially well-off, but Nazia allegedly complained that he did not give her money. This reportedly led to frequent quarrels between the couple, police said.Nazia and Chaman were arrested in connection with the murder. Kishan, who allegedly assisted in the crime and later harboured the accused, was bound down.Nazia, a resident of Ratiya Marg in Sangam Vihar, had no previous criminal involvement, police said.Chaman and Kishan also had no previous criminal record.Police recovered Rs 15,000 in cash during the investigation.The DCP said the probe to establish the complete sequence of events is still underway.(With agency inputs)
