Ranit Kr. Singh , New Delhi — A 45-year-old Delhi University assistant professor was found murdered with multiple injuries and slit wrists inside her locked sixth-floor apartment at a high-rise society in Vasundhara Enclave. Police investigations have established that the crime occurred within a precise five-and-a-half-hour window between Wednesday afternoon and evening, specifically after her last phone call at 12:30 PM and before a handyman found the flat locked from the outside at 6:00 PM. Officers revealed there were no signs of forced entry at the residence, indicating that the lone assailant was well-acquainted with the victim. Investigators are currently focusing on tracking down 13 potential suspects who visited the building during that time frame, alongside summoning the victim's estranged husband from Bengaluru.

The gruesome incident came to light on Thursday afternoon when the victim's sister arrived at the flat after the professor failed to respond to her driver's repeated phone calls and knocks earlier that morning. A forensics team scanning the crime scene discovered only one set of unidentified fingerprints inside the premises, while security footage analysis was severely hampered because cameras installed at the block entrance and inside the elevator were completely defunct. Among the prime suspects under the scanner are two masked individuals, including a woman, as well as a separate group consisting of a woman, a man, and a 10-year-old boy who entered the block together and left within 20 minutes.

“Since the flat remained locked from the outside until the locks were broken around 3pm on Thursday, it can be said with certainty that the woman was murdered within a span of five-and-a-half hours on Wednesday,” said an anonymous investigating officer. DCP (East) Rajiv Kumar stated, "The victim’s sister called the police at 2.35pm on Thursday." Explaining the timeline, the victim's sister said, “My sister’s driver, Sanjay, reached the society around 9.30am to pick her up. When she did not respond to his repeated calls, he went upstairs and found her flat locked from the outside. He waited for half an hour and then telephonically informed me.” Assessing the motive, DCP Kumar added, “Nothing was found stolen from the house. The way she was attacked with a blunt object indicates that she was killed in a rage or personal enmity and not for robbery. Our three teams are trying to locate the 13 people and interrogate them about their visit.”