Delhi: Woman wanted for killing mother over property dispute arrested

Delhi: Two sisters murdered their mother by slitting her throat in Delhi’s Ranhola area after she allegedly sided with their brother in a dispute over the division of ancestral property, an official said on Friday.

While the youngest was arrested earlier, the elder daughter (46) had been absconding for nearly a year in connection with the brutal killing of her mother in December 2023.

“In the early hours of December 30, 2023, the victim had gone to her agricultural plot to feed her cattle. Later, her daughter-in-law stumbled upon her body in the fodder room,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said.

The lights were not working, and while searching for a broom in the dark, she touched what turned out to be the blood-soaked face of her mother-in-law, he added.

She raised an alarm and informed her husband after which they found the elderly woman’s body with her throat slit and then informed the police.

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Initial investigations revealed that the murder was the result of a family dispute over ancestral property, as the daughters were allegedly upset over the division of property.

While the youngest was arrested shortly after the incident, the other accused managed to escape and remained untraceable for months, the DCP added.

“During interrogation, the accused confessed to plotting the murder with her sister. She told the police that she was under financial stress and angry at her mother for siding with her brother who, she claimed, had refused to give her a share in the family property,” the officer said.

Their father had previously allotted a 600-square-yard plot to the younger daughter, which the brother allegedly tried to encroach upon, leading to further tensions within the family, he said.

“On the morning of the crime, both the sisters allegedly booked a cab, travelled to Ranhola, and executed the murder with a kitchen knife. While the younger sister entered the plot and carried out the attack, the elder waited outside. After the killing, both fled the scene,” the DCP added.

A non-bailable warrant was issued, and she was declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court earlier this year.

The accused was arrested from Nanda Enclave in Najafgarh following a tip-off about her possible whereabouts.

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The police said she was actively using multiple SIM cards and moving between different locations to avoid detection, he said.