An elderly couple was found murdered at their home in East Delhi’s Shahdara district, police said on Sunday. The victims have been identified as Virender Kumar Bansal (75), a retired teacher, and his wife Parvesh Bansal (65).
While the motive of the crime is unclear, senior officers said the entry to the house in Mansarovar Park’s Ram Nagar Extension seemed friendly at the time of the incident.
Even as a possible robbery angle has not been ruled out, police said the unidentified accused — who was captured in CCTV cameras wearing a mask, gloves and a hoodie — seemed to be familiar with the house. A personal dispute could also be behind the killings, said officers.
During the initial probe, police also found that the jewellery worn by Parvesh Bansal was missing, raising suspicion of robbery, said officers. “Robbery cannot be ruled out. We are investigating the case from all possible angles, including personal rivalry. The team has found some clues, and we hope to solve the case soon,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam.
On Saturday, around 5 pm, when the couple’s son, Vaibhav (28), who works as a gym trainer in East Delhi’s Ghonda, reportedly left the house for gym, the husband and wife were at home. He told the police that he was at the gym till about 9 pm, and then left for a party. When he returned around midnight, he allegedly found the “centrally locked door” shut. After entering the house, he found his mother lying unconscious in one room and his father dead in the other room.
His cries alerted neighbors, who rushed upstairs and asked him to inform the police. According to officers, Parvesh Bansal was found on the floor of one room, while Virender’s body was found lying on a bed in another room. They both were dealing with health issues prior to their death, officers said.
Along with teams of Crime Branch and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), police officers reached the spot soon after receiving the information and collected evidence.
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Preliminary investigation suggests that Parvesh may have been strangled, while her husband suffered injuries to the head and face, allegedly caused by a heavy object. Officers said they have not recovered any murder weapon so far from the crime scene. Police also said that the timeline of the son’s statement, so far, matches with the evidence in hand.
DCP Gautam said that Virender Bansal hailed from Khekra in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh and lived with his family at Ram Nagar Extension, on the third floor of a residential building. He had retired about 15 years ago from a government school in Jyoti Nagar, where he served as a trained graduate teacher or TGT (Science) teacher. His wife was a homemaker.
The couple’s daughter Ekta Bansal, a primary school teacher, lives with her husband in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Vaibhav is also involved in stock market trading.
Investigators are questioning family members, neighbours, son and everyone known to the family to ascertain who the couple interacted with. Neighbours and locals referred to the couple as religious who liked visiting temples.