New Delhi: The mystery surrounding the disappearance of a 22-year-old woman, which left her family and police baffled, ended in tragedy when her body was found in a hotel room in west Delhi’s Paschim Vihar.
The woman, a resident of northwest Delhi’s Raj Park, was missing since Dec 14. Her family filed a missing person complaint on Dec 16 at Raj Park police station. “Our investigation revealed that the couple (the woman and a man believed to be her boyfriend) was last seen in a restaurant in Punjabi Bagh on the night of Dec 15, after which they checked into the hotel,” said a senior police officer.
Hotel staff found the woman’s body on the morning of Dec 17 when they went to check the room after repeated knocks went unanswered. “The boyfriend was seen leaving the hotel alone on Dec 16. When the woman didn’t respond to calls from hotel staff the next morning, they alerted police. Our team found her body inside the room,” the officer added.
Hours later, police received information about her boyfriend’s body near railway tracks in Gurgaon. “The post-mortem report shows no signs of strangulation or physical assault on the woman’s body. We are awaiting the viscera report to determine the exact cause of death,” a senior police officer said.
The woman worked in a spa as a beautician.
Police are investigating multiple possibilities surrounding the deaths, including the likelihood of a drug overdose, a potential suicide pact sparked by a dispute and a possible homicide-suicide, where the man killed the woman in the hotel before taking his own life in Gurgaon.
CCTV footage from the hotel shows the couple entering together, but the man leaving alone late at night. Police have found their mobile phones and are examining the call records and messages to understand what happened in the final hours.
The woman’s family told police they were aware of her relationship. Police are questioning their friends to understand the nature of their relationship and what might have led to the tragic end.
The forensic team has also collected samples from the hotel room and sent them for analysis. “The viscera report will help us determine if any substances were involved. We are also checking CCTV footage from the restaurant where they were last seen together,” a senior police officer said.
Police have registered a case and inquest proceedings are under way. The bodies were handed over to the families after the post-mortem.
