Ghaziabad: 64-year-old man bludgeoned to death, daughter-in-law prime suspect, say police

Ghaziabad: A 64-year-old retired government employee was found bludgeoned to death on the ground floor of his house in Govindpuram locality of Ghaziabad late Friday night, police said, adding that victim’s daughter-in-law is a prime suspect in the case.

Officers said locals alerted the police and on rushing to the crime scene they found body of Paati Singh lying on the floor in one of the rooms, on the ground floor of his home.

His daughter-in-law, Arti Singh, aged about 30, had come to stay at the house about a month ago with her two minor children, they added.

Upon reaching the scene of crime, police teams found blood splattered on the floor, and also inside the room.

Police said the daughter-in-law of the deceased initially locked herself and her kids on the first floor after the incident.Local residents also heard some loud noise coming from the house, and informed the police.

“We questioned the man’s daughter-in-law, and she he narrated us about the incident. She alleged that the deceased was friendly with some woman, and would tell her that he would give away his property to that friend. She alleged that sometimes, the deceased would stay with no clothes on in his house. On late Friday evening, she alleged that he tried to touch her, and she retaliated. She picked up a cricket bat and hit his head,” said Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), city zone.

Investigators said that they also found blood on one of the walls at the scene of crime, and it seemed that someone tried to wipe it.

“The body has injuries on head, and sent for autopsy. The man’s son had passed away during the Covid pandemic. The deceased stayed alone on the ground floor. The second floor was rented out. On Friday night, the daughter-in-law had gone to the ground floor, and thereafter the incident happened. She picked up a cricket bat and hit the man. The deceased is originally from Saharanpur while his daughter-in-law is from Dhaulana in Hapur district,” said Swatantra Kumar Singh, assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Kavi Nagar circle.

The ACP said the deceased was a retired man from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Police will soon register a first information report, taking cognizance of the matter. The incident happened under the jurisdiction of Kavi Nagar police station area.

“We are investigating further to get more details about the case,” the DCP said.