Woman arrested for killing her two daughters in Delhi's Malviya Nagar; lens on domestic dispute

NEW DELHI: A couple of weeks after two sisters were found murdered inside their house in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar, police on Sunday arrested their mother for allegedly committing the crime.

Authorities are investigating a possible domestic dispute angle.

The woman, Sunita Arora, who had attempted suicide, was discharged from hospital following thorough medical and psychiatric examinations. She was subsequently arrested after evaluation of evidence, Anant Mittal, deputy commissioner of police (south), said.

The twin deaths came to light around 6 pm on March 5, after police received a call from a relative of the Aroras that they were not answering the door. Cops found the main door locked from inside and gained entry through a window after breaking its glass pane.

The bodies of the sisters were found in separate rooms. The 33-year-old elder one had a pillow on her face, while the other, who was 28 years old, had ligature marks on her neck, suggesting that she had been strangled.

Initial probe indicates that the elder daughter, who was specially abled, was killed first. She was possibly smothered with the pillow, with cops detecting signs of a struggle.

The younger daughter and their mother were found in an unresponsive state in another room. Police suspect a crepe bandage might have been used to strangle the daughter.

Cops rushed all three to hospital, where the daughters were declared dead.

Investigators suspect crushed naphthalene balls might have been used to sedate one of them, and that the mother ingested the chemical as well.

"The elder daughter used to assist a teacher working with specially abled children, though she had quit the job a few years ago. The younger one had completed a law course," a source said.

Police have come to know of a domestic discord reportedly plaguing the family. The three were not social and might have been battling depression, the source added.

The Aroras lived in a four-storey building. Sunita and her family resided on the ground floor, her mother-in-law on the second, and Sunita's brother-in-law and his family on the remaining two floors.