Police on Saturday arrested a 31-year-old man, Devender alias “Dev,” for the alleged murder of his 60-year-old landlady, Asha Devi.
Devender, who had a physical relationship with the victim, claimed that Devi opposed his plans to marry another woman.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Joy Tirkey, stated that Devender, facing financial difficulties due to his copper wire packing business’s losses during the Covid pandemic, had resorted to fabricating a study in Germany and borrowing money from his father.
Living in Devi’s house as a tenant since 2019, Devender and Devi became friends and were involved in a physical relationship.
In 2021, Devender met another woman, also a tenant of Devi, and falsely claimed to be associated with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to secure her brother a job. Devender and the other woman decided to marry, leading to their engagement on December 4 in Aligarh.
Infuriated by these developments, Devi contacted Devender and insisted on a meeting.
On December 10, a confrontation unfolded at Devi’s house, during which Devender, in a fit of rage, struck her with a brick after she opposed his marriage plans.
Subsequently, he brutally assaulted her, attempted to strangle her, and purchased plastic sheeting to wrap her body before concealing it in a bed box on the building’s ground floor.
Stealing cash and jewelry from the victim, Devender fled to Aligarh. The incident came to light on December 15 when the police were alerted to a foul smell emanating from a room. Upon opening the bed box, they discovered the decomposed body of Asha Devi.
Devender was apprehended in Aligarh on Saturday morning, according to DCP Joy Tirkey.
