Kolkata couple arrested for DU professor’s murder over ancestral property row

A couple from Kolkata has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 45-year-old Delhi University assistant professor whose body was found inside her flat at a residential complex in east Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave. Police said the accused, who are distant relatives of the victim and tenants in one of her ancestral properties in West Bengal, were arrested in Kolkata and are being brought to Delhi for further investigation. Investigators said a property dispute was identified as the motive behind the killing.

The victim, an assistant professor at a college in Raja Garden, was found dead inside her flat on Thursday. According to investigators, she had sustained a severe head injury, cuts on both wrists, and multiple bruises on her face and body. Police said the condition of the body suggested that a struggle had taken place before her death. The victim’s sister reached the apartment after repeated calls went unanswered and discovered the flat locked from the outside. The lock was later broken in the presence of residents’ association members.

According to police, the accused couple had been living for several years as tenants in a property inherited by the victim in West Bengal. Investigators said the family was considering selling the ancestral property because most family members were settled in Delhi, but the professor was reportedly opposed to the sale. Police alleged that the accused viewed her refusal as the primary obstacle to acquiring the property and planned the murder as a result of the dispute.

Investigators said the couple travelled from West Bengal to Delhi under the pretext of meeting the victim. CCTV footage allegedly showed two masked visitors entering the residential complex on Wednesday and reaching the sixth-floor apartment using the stairs instead of the lift. Police said the accused were accompanied by their child and gained entry to the flat without resistance. After the incident, they allegedly changed clothes and left the premises in a waiting cab before returning to West Bengal.

The investigation involved multiple police teams conducting raids and examining visitors recorded at the housing complex. Authorities reviewed footage, questioned suspects, and tracked travel details linked to the accused. Police said jewellery and cash were found untouched inside the flat, ruling out robbery as a possible motive. The arrested couple are currently being interrogated as part of the ongoing investigation into the murder.