DU professor refused to sell Bengal house, tenant couple killed her; arrested
Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a couple from West Bengal for the murder of 49-year-old Delhi University professor, Debosmita Paul, saying they travelled to Delhi
Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a couple from West Bengal for the murder of 49-year-old Delhi University professor, Debosmita Paul, saying they travelled to Delhi and killed her after she refused to sell them a property she owned in Bardhaman. Debosmita Paul, an assistant professor at Shivaji College, was found murdered in her flat at Satyam Apartments in East Delhi's Vasundhara Enclave on June 4. The accused - Ramprashad Das (42), his wife Banashree Das (36) and their minor son - were tracked down and arrested from Burdwan in West Bengal after an intensive investigation involving CCTV analysis and technical surveillance. Read Full Story According to police, the accused family had been residing in Paul's ancestral property in Burdwan since 2023, which had come to her through a family settlement.
The professor had repeatedly asked them to vacate the premises, leading to a prolonged dispute. Investigators said Paul had recently issued a final warning to vacate the property, following which the family conspired to eliminate her. Police said the three travelled to Delhi on June 3 with a premeditated plan to commit the murder. To avoid suspicion, they checked into a guest house in Dallupura using Aadhaar credentials belonging to unrelated persons. Investigators later identified the fake identities through guest house records and placed the associated mobile numbers under surveillance. The accused visited Paul's flat and murdered her after she refused to relent on the property issue. They then locked the apartment from the outside and fled.
Police recovered the victim's Samsung mobile phone, a razor allegedly used in the crime, clothes, a cap, a backpack and train tickets from the accused. The breakthrough came after police examined extensive CCTV footage from the housing complex and surrounding areas. Investigators tracked the suspects moving through the building with their faces concealed, changing clothes and using both staircases and lifts to evade detection. After the murder, the family then escaped using a taxi and an autorickshaw to reach Anand Vihar before proceeding to New Delhi Railway Station, where they boarded the Poorva Express at around 5.40 pm on June 3. They reached Burdwan the following day. A police team flew to West Bengal on June 6 and continued tracing the suspects through CCTV footage from Burdwan railway station.
The trio was located at their hideout and were arrested on June 7. The murder came to light after Paul's sister, Devarati Paul, grew concerned when repeated calls went unanswered. She reached the apartment, found it locked from the outside, broke open the lock and discovered the professor's body inside. Investigators found no signs of forced entry or theft, leading them to suspect from the outset that the perpetrators were known to the victim. A case under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered, and further investigation is underway. Ends
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