NEW DELHI: The murder of Delhi University assistant professor Debosmita Paul at her east Delhi residence on June 3 appears to have been planned well in advance. Police sources said photographs of Paul’s vehicle registration plate and her residence were found on the mobile phone of the 42-year-old man who, along with his wife, had allegedly killed the teacher.The couple, the tenant of Paul’s ancestral house in West Bengal’s Bardhaman, was allegedly angry with her for repeatedly refusing to sell it to them. He allegedly told police that he had conducted recces of the area in Jan and March, taking photographs from outside the housing complex in Vasundhara Enclave.
Investigators have found that the accused contacted the 49-year-old teacher through a WhatsApp call on June 1 on the pretext of paying the rent.
Paul allegedly said she would be at home on June 3. Police suspect that the accused then finalised the murder plan. According to investigators, the accused operated a sanitaryware shop in Bardhaman and frequently travelled to Delhi, particularly the Karol Bagh market, for business.Police sources said he also frequently visited Paul’s house and would occasionally bring mangoes from Bardhaman, giving him familiarity with the house layout and surroundings.
Investigators said Paul had asked him to vacate her Bardhaman house, and apparently set a June deadline during her last visit.Police found several forged identity cards and badges purportedly linked to West Bengal Police, along with a fake railway ticket-checker’s badge. Officers also seized bundles resembling stacks of currency notes, allegedly prepared with genuine notes placed on the top and bottom and plain paper in between — a method commonly associated with fraud.Multiple watches and more than 100 shirts were also discovered. As the man couldn’t satisfactorily explain their source, Delhi Police has informed West Bengal Police to check whether he might have been involved in other criminal activities, including theft and cheating.Special CP (law & order) Devesh Chandra Srivastava said more than 200 CCTV footage were checked, leading to the arrests by a team under the supervision of DCP Rajiv Kumar.Investigators suspect the accused took elaborate measures to evade detection. Police said the couple changed clothes thrice — after arriving in Delhi, after the murder, and again before boarding the train. After the killing, they travelled by taxi to Anand Vihar station, stayed there for about 15 minutes, and then took an auto to New Delhi, where they allegedly changed clothes again.After arriving at Bardhaman station with their minor son, the couple allegedly avoided the direct route to home and exited through the rear side, taking a longer path on foot.
Police said the accused had parked his scooter about 300 metres away in a market before travelling to Delhi. Investigators tracked it outside a house after a nearly 24-hour search.Police suspect the accused took away Paul’s mobile phone to delete the WhatsApp chats and other digital evidence linking him to the crime. Investigators have noticed inconsistencies in the couple’s statements about the murder weapon, with the man claiming it was brought from Bardhaman while his wife said it was bought in Delhi. After returning to Bardhaman, they resumed their daily routine, police sources said.
