A 27-year-old woman was stabbed to death and her body was set on fire in east Delhi's Patparganj on Wednesday evening.
According to initial investigation, there is a possibility of the involvement of a relative in the crime. The police control room had received a call at around 6:00 PM informing about thick smoke billowing from a rented flat in the neighbourhood. Following this, a team from the local police station reached the spot, Times Of India reported.
"The caller informed us that he saw heavy smoke coming from the apartment, and upon looking inside, noticed a woman lying motionless in a burnt condition," a senior officer stated.
When the police team entered the premises, they found the charred body of a woman lying on the floor of one of the rooms. She was immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where she was declared brought dead by the doctors.
The victim had been living in the rented accommodation with her family. Her body was taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital for postmortem examination. During the autopsy, doctors discovered four stab wounds on her body, suggesting a violent struggle before an attempt was made to burn her, the TOI report said.
"Preliminary findings suggest that the incident occurred while the woman was alone in the house. It appears that a man known to her entered the flat, and following a heated argument, she was attacked and stabbed multiple times," an officer said.
Police said that the attacker tried to set the body on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence. An empty kerosene bottle was also recovered from the site, the report said.
Police are scanning CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to trace the suspect’s movements and determine his escape route. Multiple raids are also being carried out to nab the accused.