New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) A 30-year-old jilted lover and his associate have been arrested for the murder of a 19-year-old girl, her mother and minor sister at their house in Usmanpur in east Delhi. The accused killed the three in a fit of rage over the young woman's affair with another youth, police said on Thursday.
Raheesuddin, and his associate Javed, 27, both known by their first names, were arrested from their hideouts in Delhi on Wednesday.
Police said that Raheesuddin and Javed killed Mehr-un-Nisa, her mother Saira Bano, 45, and her nine-year-old sister, Shabnam, at their house in Usmanpur in east Delhi. "They used a butcher knife to slit the victims' throats."
The bodies were recovered on June 5 when police reached the spot following a complaint of a foul smell coming from the house that was locked from the outside.
"Raheesuddin confessed that he was in love with Mehr-un-Nisa. He lost his temper after learning that she had an affair with another youth in her neighbourhood," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ajit Kumar Singla said.
"He had been helping Mehr-un-Nisa's family financially for the last two years since the death of her father. He was also upset and tense due to her mother's behaviour. He then conspired with his friend Javed and killed the victims in their house," the officer said.
To hide his involvement in the killings, police said Raheesuddin went to Nainital for Jamaat -- a congregation -- but returned to Delhi before a Delhi Police team reached there to catch him.
The DCP said that suspicions arose over Raheesuddin's involvement during interrogation of 100 persons.
"The crime scene also indicated an insider's role. As Raheesuddin used to visit the family frequently, but went missing from the city just after the murder, it raised suspicion over his role. He initially tried to mislead, but later confessed his involvement," the officer said.
The officer added that Raheesuddin was earlier arrested in 2004 and 2009 for circulating counterfeit Indian currency in Delhi.
