Kolkata couple held for DU professor’s murder in Delhi, property row motive: Police

A couple from Kolkata has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 45-year-old assistant professor from Delhi University. The professor's body was discovered in an east Delhi apartment on Thursday, with police stating the motive was a property dispute. The arrested couple, who are distant relatives of the deceased, allegedly traveled to Delhi, committed the murder, and then returned to Kolkata.

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The couple wanted to buy the house they had been living in for many years.

Investigators familiar with the case reported that the professor, who had been a permanent assistant professor since 2023, sustained severe head injuries, had her wrists slit, and exhibited bruises on her face and body, indicating a struggle. The professor's elder sister, who lives nearby, alerted locals and the society's residents' welfare association when she found the door locked. The lock was subsequently broken in the presence of RWA members.

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The professor was against the family’s decision to sell the ancestral property.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Rajiv Kumar, the arrested couple had been tenants in one of the professor's ancestral properties in Kolkata for many years. They reportedly wished to purchase the house, and the professor's parents and siblings were amenable to selling it as they were settled in Delhi. However, the professor opposed the sale of the ancestral property, making her the perceived obstacle for the couple. Enraged by her refusal despite repeated requests, the couple allegedly traveled to Delhi to kill her on Wednesday before returning to Kolkata.

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The couple saw her as the main hurdle. Enraged because the professor was not giving her consent despite their repeated requests, they travelled to Delhi, killed her on Wednesday, and returned to Kolkata.