Unidentified persons loot gold, Rs 16 lakh after killing woman

Gagandeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 22

Unidentified persons looted gold and Rs 16 lakh in cash from a house after killing a woman in Kamla Nehru Colony here today. The deceased has been identified as Kanika Gupta.

The accused decamped with some important items and Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of the CCTV camera installed in the house. They also destroyed the wires of the CCTV. The Cantonment police have started investigating the case. SSP Naveen Singla, along with teams of CIA staff and Forensic Department, reached the spot.

The police suspect that the reason behind the crime could be personal enmity. A case under Sections of 302 and 396 of the IPC has been registered against the unidentified persons at the Cantonment police station on the statement of Anil Gupta, husband of the deceased.

A one-and-half-year-old boy, Samar, was found safe in the house. He was found sleeping near his deceased mother. The family took her to a private hospital where she was declared brought dead.

Anuj Kumar, a resident of Bathinda, told the police that his sister Kanika had married to Anil Gupta, a resident of Kamla Nehru Colony, and they had a one-and-half-year-old boy.

Anuj said he and his father Pardeep Kumar today tried to call Kanika many times, but she did not pick up their calls. They reached her house at 3 pm and found that all doors of the house were opened. They also found Kanika in one of the rooms with many injury marks on her head and neck. A dupatta was found wrapped around her neck.

Anil Gupta, who is a charted accountant, also reached the house after he came to know about the incident. He told the police that gold worth of 15 lakh and cash in Rs 16 lakh, including costly items, were found missing from the house.

Anil said he left for the office at 10.15 am and at that time, the maid was present at the house.

SSP Naveen Singla said the police had started investigating the case and the accused would be held soon. The police have also questioning some neighbourers and examining footages of CCTV cameras installed in the colony.