Times News NetworkKanpur: A retired lecturer’s wife was murdered by an unidentified intruder who broke into their home in Kanpur on Thursday afternoon. The woman was strangled with a string and her throat was slit. After the murder, the miscreant looted cash and jewellery from the house, said police.DCP West SM Qasim Abidi said the deceased, Nirmala Singh (53), was resident of Awas Vikas-1 in Kalyanpur. He said CCTV footage shows a man wearing a saffron ‘gamchha’ (scarf) entering the house at 1:16 pm and exiting at about 2:10 pm, carrying a bag. A woman’s movement was also observed near the house.Abidi said the assailant’s identity could not be established because the scarf covered his face but a surveillance team was deployed to crack the case. Several key inputs were obtained during the investigation, said police.A maidservant employed at the house and two AC mechanics were taken into custody for questioning, said Abidi, adding that the maidservant had left the house 30 minutes before the incident, while the two mechanics had visited the house earlier for AC servicing. A list of all visitors to the house was being compiled and each person was being questioned in turn, with investigators examining the whereabouts of the domestic staff and their family members at the time of the incident.Harendra Kumar Singh (60) lives with his family at house number H-1624, Awas Vikas-1, Kalyanpur. He retired on Mar 31 from Bharatiya Vidyalaya Inter College in Acharya Nagar. He said his family comprised his wife Nirmala Singh (53), two daughters, Pooja and Prachi and son Prasoon. He said both daughters were married, while his son, after completing BTech, was employed in a multinational company in Hyderabad.Singh said that on Thursday afternoon he stepped out to buy medicine and latched the gate from outside before leaving and on returning home about an hour later found the door open. On entering the house, he found his wife’s body lying on the floor, the entire house ransacked, and the cupboard lockers broken open. He alerted neighbours and police.Police said cupboard lockers were broken open. A forensic team and dog squad collected evidence. On receiving information, ADCP West and Kalyanpur police station in charge arrived at the scene with force to conduct investigation, while a forensic team was summoned to the site.Singh said he and his wife were scheduled to travel to Kolkata on Apr 29 for his niece’s wedding.
