19-year-old held for killing woman in Delhi

A day after the recovery of a woman’s body found concealed in a plastic bag within east Delhi’s Vishwas Nagar area, authorities announced the arrest of a 19-year-old youth from Mumbai in connection with her alleged murder, police said.

The suspect, identified as Sultan, and the 23-year-old victim, Shama, reportedly had plans for marriage, law enforcement officials said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rohit Meena said that Sultan’s family members were scheduled to visit Shama’s residence on November 25 to finalise their marital arrangement. However, prior to the meeting, Sultan purportedly strangled Shama and absconded from the city, Meena stated.

Police received a call around 4:45 pm on Sunday concerning a body discovered in a plastic bag within a rented accommodation at Vishwas Nagar. Upon inspection, officers found the deceased woman inside the bag with visible strangulation marks.

Shama hailed from the NSA colony in the area, while Sultan resided in Vishwas Nagar and hailed from Bihar, as per the police.

Reportedly employed in the delivery and packing department of an e-commerce company, the accused, Sultan, during interrogation disclosed a familiarity with Shama spanning over 2-3 years and their intention to marry.

The events unfolded as Sultan invited Shama to his rented residence-cum-office at Vishwas Nagar on the morning of November 25. A dispute arose when Sultan accused her of interacting with other men, leading to a heated argument. Allegedly in a fit of rage, Sultan strangled Shama with a scarf, the DCP said.

Subsequently, he bound her hands and legs, concealed the body in a plastic bag, locked the office, turned off his phone, and fled the city, according to authorities.

The accused then travelled to Mumbai by train and sought refuge with an acquaintance, the police added.

Law enforcement managed to trace Sultan’s location to Mumbai’s Mulund area, successfully apprehending the suspect after a team was dispatched to the location.

Sultan has been taken into custody under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offense) of the Indian Penal Code, as confirmed by authorities.(With inputs from PTI)