In a shocking incident from Ghaziabad, a couple has been arrested for the alleged murder of their landlady, who had visited their flat to collect overdue rent. The gruesome crime, which took place on Wednesday night, saw the victim first attacked with a pressure cooker and then strangled.
The Gruesome Discovery in Raj Nagar Extension
Police identified the deceased as Deepshikha Sharma, a 48-year-old teacher. The incident occurred at the Aura Chimera residential complex in Raj Nagar Extension. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (Nandgram) Upasna Pandey, information about the murder was received via the Police Control Room around 11:15 pm on Wednesday.
A police team rushed to the scene and made a grim discovery. "The Nandgram police station received information that a murder had occurred... When a police team reached the complex, they found Deepshikha’s body hidden in a red bag," stated ACP Pandey.
Four Months of Unpaid Rent Led to Confrontation
The investigation revealed a clear motive rooted in a financial dispute. Deepshikha and her husband, Umesh Sharma, owned two flats in the same building. While the family lived in one, the other was rented out to the accused couple, Ajay Gupta and Akriti Gupta.
The tenants had not paid their rent for approximately four months. On Wednesday, Deepshikha decided to confront them about the pending payment. Her husband was not at home at the time. She went to the tenants' flat but did not return for hours, raising alarm.
How the Crime Unravelled
The sequence of events that led to the arrest began with the alertness of the family's domestic help, Meena. Worried about Deepshikha's prolonged absence, Meena started searching for her. When she went to the tenants' flat, the couple claimed the landlady had never visited them.
This suspicious response prompted Meena to check the CCTV camera footage from around the flat. The footage provided the crucial breakthrough. "When she checked CCTV footage, she found that Deepshikha had entered the flat but did not exit. Following this, she alerted the police," explained an investigating officer.
Based on this evidence and their subsequent investigation, police arrested the couple, Ajay and Akriti Gupta, on Thursday. The preliminary investigation suggests that an argument over the unpaid rent escalated violently. The accused allegedly first struck Deepshikha on the head with a pressure cooker and then strangled her using a dupatta.
Aftermath and Police Action
The arrest of the tenant couple brings a swift closure to a case that has sent shockwaves through the local community in Raj Nagar Extension. The police have taken the accused into custody and are conducting further investigations into the exact circumstances of the murder. The case underscores the extreme and tragic lengths to which disputes over money and property can sometimes lead.
The body of Deepshikha Sharma was recovered and sent for postmortem. The police are building a strong case based on forensic evidence, the murder weapon, and the damning CCTV footage that captured the victim's entry but not her exit.
