The Hindu : New Delhi News : Man kills wife, himself

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Man kills wife, himself

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 7. A 62-year-old businessman allegedly committed suicide by jumping before a train after brutally murdering his 40-year-old wife in their house at Jangpura Extension in South Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday. According to the police, he confessed to having murdered his wife in a suicide note recovered from his possession.

The case came to light around 8-30 a.m. when Moolchand Hospital authorities informed the police about the body of a woman brought to the hospital by her children. The deceased, Renuka Bajaj, had been stabbed near the eyes and neck and her head been crushed with some heavy object.

Renuka's children, Rajat and Neha, told the police that around 8 a.m., a Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel arrived at their residence and showed them the driving licence of their father, Tilak Raj Bajaj. After his children identified the photograph, the GRP personnel said Tilak Raj had apparently met with an accident and his body had been found on the nearby railway tracks.

At first, the children did not believe him saying their father was asleep in his room. But when they entered the room, they were shocked to find that their mother had been badly assaulted. They rushed her to Moolchand Hospital where the doctors declared her dead and informed the police.

Investigations revealed that Tilak Raj earlier owned a tin-manufacturing factory, but had to sell it off after suffering heavy financial losses. In due course, he began consuming alcohol and also started gambling. His wife, Renuka, who ran a boutique named "Radhika Designers'' at Greater Kailash, was trying to set up a diamond business.

Police enquiries revealed that for the past several months, Tilak Raj and Renuka were not getting along well and there were frequent altercations as he allegedly suspected that she was involved with someone else. It also came to light that the couple had recently started living in separate rooms.

Their children told the police that on Monday midnight, they all had dinner and went to sleep. Investigations suggest that while Renuka was asleep, Tilak Raj attacked her with knife. She offered resistance upon which he hit her on the head with a hammer, killing her instantly. The police have recovered a bloodstained hammer and a knife from the bathroom attached to the room.

The police said the GRP personnel recovered a suicide note from Tilak Raj's possession in which he confessed to having murdered his wife because he had strained relationship with her. Tilak Raj also gave the address and contact number of his brother and wanted him to be informed about the incident.

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