Wife, ex-wife and daughter kill DTC employee to divide his property among them

New Delhi: Days after a DTC employee was shot dead here, the police have arrested his wife, ex-wife and daughter for the murder, officials said on Sunday.

The accused have been identified as Geeta (54), the first wife of the deceased, her daughter Komal (21) and the man's second wife Geeta alias Najma (28), they said.

The 45-year-old Delhi Transport Corporation employee was shot dead while he was on a bike with his second wife and nine-year-old son on July 6, they said, adding that the women had hired a contract killer to kill the man.

The police said the three women had been planning to kill the man for the last two-three years and were caught after the investigators found a deleted photo of the the number plate of the man's on Najma's mobile.

While planning the killing, the women had approached Iqbal, Najma's cousin, for help. Iqbal was tasked to find a contract killer and a man identified as Nayuum, alleged to be a sharpshooter, was paid Rs 15 lakh to kill the DTC employee, a senior police officer said.

According to the police, the incident took place on July 6 when Sanjeev Kumar was on his way back home. Two bike-borne assailants who had followed him had fired at him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Esha Pandey said Najma told the police that her husband died in a road accident in Govindpuri and could not explain the gunshot injuries sustained by him.

"When questioned, she said her husband had a tiff with other DTC workers and told the police that she suspected their involvement, alleging that they had threatened to shoot him, the DCP said.

When the police did not get any clue even after questioning Kumar's colleagues and employers, they turned their focus on Najma and took her mobile phone, officials said, adding the recovery of a deleted photo of the number plate of her husband's bike from her phone made the investigators question her again.

On July 5, Najma had taken the photo of the number plate and deleted it on the same day. During sustained questioning, she broke down and confessed to her crime. She revealed that Kumar married twice and his first wife, Geeta lived with their three children (including Komal) in Dakshinpuri. Najma had found out about the first wife and children around two-three years ago and contacted them, the DCP said.

However, Najma disclosed that her husband was abusive and would often hit her. She would hide the phone at her neighbour's house. The women complained that Kumar had ruined their lives. So, together, they hatched a plan to eliminate him and divide his property among them, the officer said.