Delhi Police Arrest 24-Year-Old in West Bengal for Jangpura Murder and Robbery

The Delhi Police have arrested a 24-year-old man in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, for allegedly murdering and robbing a 69-year-old retired schoolteacher at her residence in southeast Delhi’s Jangpura.

The accused was identified as Ashrif, a resident of Sarai Kale Khan who previously lived in Nizamuddin. Police tracked him down following four days of continuous technical and manual surveillance after he fled the national capital.

The incident took place early Friday morning when 69-year-old Preeti Kumari was found dead in her bedroom with her hands tied and her house completely ransacked. According to investigators, Ashrif entered the house around 3:20 am through the main door, which was unlocked. When Kumari woke up and saw him, Ashrif panicked, assaulted her, covered her mouth, and smothered her to death in her room before fleeing with valuables.

Police said Ashrif had been monitoring Kumari for over a month after spotting her distributing snacks and tea to local workers. Knowing she lived alone, he had asked an associate to keep watch on her movements and decided to carry out a burglary at night. Investigators noted that Ashrif has six prior criminal cases registered against him, involving snatching, robbery, and theft.

After committing the crime, Ashrif went to Sunlight Colony to meet his mother, who reportedly asked him to surrender. He instead handed over the stolen gold jewellery to his brother-in-law, Fardeen, and Kumari's mobile phone to a friend named Alam. On Sunday, police arrested both Fardeen and Alam and recovered the stolen items.

Ashrif took a bus to Lucknow on Friday night and boarded a train to West Bengal on Saturday. Tracking teams located him near a lodge in Cooch Behar and apprehended him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Vineet Kumar said that following due legal procedures, the accused is being brought back to Delhi for further interrogation.