Sarai Rohilla triple murder: Stench, signs of struggle made neighbours call police

The murderer may have been known to the family, suspect the police.

[related-post]

“We have dispatched teams from the special staff, the anti-auto theft squad, the Gulabi Bagh police station and two teams from Sarai Rohilla police station to track down the assailant. We have detained some people, including the tenants who were living in the room let out by the couple. But the prime suspect is still at large. We cannot rule out robbery as a motive, though the suspect seemed to be known to the family,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma.

Chandu Lal’s neighbour Prem Gautam, who deals in CCTVs, had installed a camera near the staircase and another below his balcony, looking down into the alley.

“The cameras were only for show, for my clients and buyers,” said Gautam.

On Thursday morning, Gautam’s one-year-old daughter Lavi went up to Chandu Lal’s door, looking for naani, Gullu Devi. When Gautam went after his daughter, he found the house padlocked.

“It was a new lock. The screen door was locked while the inside door was open. I did not make much of it. At about 6 pm, when I stepped out of my home, I detected a foul smell. I went over to the flat and saw that the fan and cooler were on, blowing the curtain away from the door. I got a glimpse of the room inside and I could see sofa cushions, bags and a clock strewn across, as if there had been a struggle. I could also see a blanket on the floor,” said Gautam.
Under that blanket, police found Chandu Lal’s body, which bore knife injuries, said Gautam.

“When they searched the house, they found Gullu Devi’s body in one of the rooms…her jewellery was missing,” he said.

Teju, who worked for Chandu Lal and lived in the same building, said the couple had lived there for nearly 30 years.

“They were very well-mannered and peaceful. But their son got into fights with residents of the locality,” alleged Teju.

“Police rounded up the two men who were living in the flat let out by the couple. The other room was empty because the tenants had moved out earlier. It was in this room that Rakesh’s body was found. His hands, feet and mouth were bound by ropes and his throat had been slit,” said Teju.

He added that Rakesh’s body was found hours after his parent’s body had been discovered.

The couple is survived by their daughter Pushpa, who is married and lives with her family in Ahmedabad.

Rakesh’s younger brother Narendra was killed in a road accident in 2013, said the couple’s relatives.