Delhi: 17-year-old held for elderly widow's murder

New Delhi, Feb 5: A 17-year-old boy was apprehended on Friday for allegedly strangulating an elderly widow and robbing her of cash, jewellery and other items from her residence in south Delhi's B K Dutt colony.

The juvenile, along with his girlfriend, had last year allegedly abducted and murdered a 13-year-old boy for money which he needed for participating in a popular reality dance show, police said.

After being released from a correction home recently, he targeted the 65-year-old widow, Mithilesh Jain, who lived alone in a first-floor residence in B K Dutt colony, police said. The woman was found dead on Monday by her son-in-law but the police had then claimed that it was a case of natural death.

Things took a turn when Jain's relatives informed police that some jewellery, cash and expensive items, including two mobile phones, were missing from her residence. The post mortem report also suggested that she was strangulated, following which police registered a case.

Police traced the boy when he switched on one of the phones which he had allegedly robbed from Jain and apprehended him today from his residence at Faridabad. On being questioned, he told the police that he had targeted the woman as he needed money to participate in a popular reality dance show.

On Sunday night, he went to Jain's house, where he allegedly strangulated her and then placed the body on the bed to make it look like a case of natural death, before he fled with cash, jewellery and other belongings, police said.

Jain, who had retired from her job at Safdarjung Hospital which she got after her husband's death, is survived by her son who lives in Singapore, a daughter settled in US, and another daughter who lives with her chartered accountant husband in elsewhere in Delhi, police said.

She was planning to leave for Singapore in a few days. The accused is a professional dancer and takes training in choreographer.

PTI