Agartala city police crack murder of elderly woman; Daughter and son-in-law arrested

In a significant breakthrough, the Agartala city police have solved a seemingly clueless murder case within a short span of time and arrested the complainants themselves — the daughter of the deceased and her husband — for killing an elderly woman.

Giving details at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, SDPO (Sadar) Debaprasad Roy, accompanied by Officer-in-Charge of West Agartala Police Station Rana Chatterjee, said that Sulekha Dey (78) succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment at GBP Hospital on Monday (December 22). She had sustained severe cut injuries in a brutal attack.

Earlier, on December 21, the deceased’s daughter Bulti Dey lodged a complaint at West Agartala Police Station, alleging that unidentified miscreants had assaulted her mother and stolen valuable gold jewellery from the house.

Acting on the complaint, a police team led by the SDPO and the OC rushed to the spot and collected evidence with the assistance of forensic and fingerprint experts. However, during investigation, the police found discrepancies between the crime scene evidence and the version narrated by the complainant.

After the victim’s death, police intensified the probe and, based on scientific and circumstantial evidence, examined the background of the deceased and her relationship with her daughter and son-in-law Bishnu Dey. Following a detailed investigation, the police arrested the daughter and her husband on Tuesday.

SDPO Roy said that before making the arrests, investigators thoroughly examined all aspects of the case, including past family disputes, particularly over property and a fixed deposit of Rs. 2.5 lakh, in which the deceased had reportedly nominated another person as beneficiary.

During preliminary interrogation, the arrested couple allegedly confessed to killing the elderly woman over property and gold ornaments. In the presence of an executive magistrate, police also recovered the stolen gold jewellery belonging to the deceased.

Praising the investigation team, SDPO Roy commended the efforts of the OC of West Agartala Police Station and Ramnagar Police Outpost, stating that their meticulous investigation helped crack the murder case swiftly.

Meanwhile, OC Rana Chatterjee said that the arrested couple would be produced before a local court on Wednesday, along with a plea for police remand for further interrogation.