New Delhi, Jan 11, DHNS: A 32-year-old woman, the sole breadwinner of her family, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a nursery near Sultanpur Metro station in south Delhi on Saturday morning.

There were several injury marks on her body, leading the police to suspect that she was raped before being murdered.

The woman lived with her husband and three daughters, aged 8-12 years, at a rented house in south Delhi’s Sultanpur. She worked with an export house in the neighbourhood, stitching and embroidering for a living.

Her husband had been bedridden for the past year after an accident at his hometown in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district. He is undergoing treatment in the capital.

The police said the guard of the nursery, owned by Delhi Development Authority, spotted the body and called up the police control room at 8:20 am. “The body was semi-naked, with the hands and legs tied with ropes. Wooden sticks were also found inserted in her private parts,” said a police officer.

The woman's husband told police she usually returned home from work at 7 pm. But she did not return on Friday. At 8 pm, he called on her mobile phone, but it was switched off.

On checking with her office's reception and colleagues, he was told that she had left at 6 pm.
When she did not return till late at night, he called the police control room. A missing person's complaint was filed and the local police initiated probe. On Saturday morning, the police were informed about the body, which was identified by members of the woman's family.

The police have sent the body for post-mortem at AIIMS after a crime and forensic team inspected the spot.

“A case of murder has been filed with Fatehpur Beri police station. We are yet to ascertain if she was raped, and it will depend on the post-mortem report,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Prem Nath.