59-year-old woman found murdered at Junagadh residence

Rajkot: A 59-year-old woman was murdered at her residence in the Joshipara area of Junagadh on Tuesday evening, after unidentified assailants slit her throat while she was alone at home.

The victim, Sunita Raija, was found in a pool of blood in her house after repeated phone calls from family members went unanswered. Her son, Dilip Raija (39), lodged an FIR at B Division police station.

According to the FIR, Dilip lived with his parents, wife, and daughter. His wife Rekha and daughter Lavina had gone to Rajkot on May 9 to her parents’ home.

Police said Dilip and his father were at their fabric shop on Tuesday. Around 8.30pm, Dilip tried calling his mother but got no response. He then asked his wife to call her. When repeated calls went unanswered, Rekha asked a neighbour to check on Sunita.

The neighbour found Sunita in a pool of blood inside the house. Dilip rushed home and called emergency services, but medical staff declared her dead on arrival.

Investigators said the victim was still wearing her gold jewellery, including ornaments on both hands and a nose ring, while household belongings remained untouched, ruling out robbery as an immediate motive.

During the preliminary inquiry, Dilip told police he went home around 5.30pm, when he saw mother was sitting in the hall, taking her blood pressure medication and drinking tea. He then left for Bhavnath before returning to the shop around 6.30pm.

The preliminary postmortem report states that Sunita was attacked with a sharp weapon and killed with a single blow. Police also said there were no visible signs of struggle at the scene.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the areas and tracking the movement of suspicious persons around the crime scene. Police are also verifying the movements and timelines of family members as part of the investigation.

A case has been registered under Sections 103(1) and 332(A) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, for murder and house trespass with intent to commit a serious offence.