A 50-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her estranged husband in South Delhi's Neb Sarai area on Wednesday night. The accused, who entered the house disguised as a sadhu (monk), murdered his wife by repeatedly hitting her on the head with a hammer.
According to reports, the victim Kiran Jha worked as a caretaker and had been living separately from her husband for the last 10 years with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild.
According to police, the accused Pramod Jha alias Pappu (60) attacked his wife Kiran Jha inside their home on Wednesday morning. Police have described this as a premeditated attack.
Kiran was found covered in blood by her daughter-in-law at around 4 AM. DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said that the accused had been living separately from his wife for nearly a decade and had come to Delhi from his ancestral village in Munger district, Bihar, on 1st August.
The victim's son works for a microfinance company in Darbhanga, Bihar, and was not at home during the incident.
A police preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused had no source of income and had sold his ancestral property. He was pressuring his wife to return to Bihar and earn money, which she had refused.
Kiran's daughter Roma stated that the accused had physically abused her mother, forcing Kiran to leave him and start a new life in Delhi. Roma told police that the family had gone to Bihar about two months ago for a funeral, where Pramod had pretended to reform and give up violence.
Roma alleged: "On Tuesday and Wednesday night, he killed my mother because she refused to go back to Bihar with him again."
Police said a hammer was recovered from Kiran's room, which is believed to have been used in the murder.
Delhi government CCTV footage outside the house shows Pramod leaving the house at 12:50 AM after changing his clothes. The officer said police had begun searching for the accused.
The DCP said, "Police teams have been sent to railway stations and bus stands to trace his movements. We are working on several leads to arrest the accused."
