Gokalpuri Double Murder: Third accused arrested from Mayur Vihar

The police have registered a case of robbery and murder against the daughter-in-law of the couple and her two accomplices. , photo credit: file photo

Days after an elderly couple was hacked to death by their daughter-in-law and her two accomplices in northeast Delhi’s Gokalpuri area, police have arrested the third accused, officials said on Tuesday.

Police said 29-year-old Vikas alias Viraj, a resident of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, was absconding after killing the couple.

The incident took place on April 10 when 72-year-old Radheshyam Varma and his wife Veena, 68, were found dead at their home. The couple was allegedly murdered in their sleep. While his house was ransacked, some cash and jewelery were also missing.

Police have booked Mr Verma’s daughter-in-law, Monika, 30, her friend Ashish, 29, and Mr Vikas, under a case of dacoity and murder, an official said. A senior police officer said, “Monica and Ashish were arrested earlier, while Vikas was absconding.”

Acting on a tip-off about Mr Vikas’s movement in Kotla village of Mayur Vihar, the police arrested him last week. “Vikas used to run a dairy business, but later he started driving a taxi. Then he joined the crime with Ashish for money,” said the officer.

According to the police, Ms Monika revealed during interrogation that she and her friend had been planning the murders since December 2022. The elderly couple’s decision to sell their property prompted the accused to execute their plan,” said the police officer, who had befriended Mr Ashish on Facebook in August 2020. According to the police, Ms. Monika wanted to settle down with Mr. Ashish after eliminating the entire family.