Cops Suspect Foul Play in Manipur Woman’s Death

Students protest outside Malviya Nagar police station

New Delhi, Jun 3 : Days after a young woman from Manipur was found dead in her South Delhi home, the case has been transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch. On Saturday, hundreds of students assembled outside the Malviya Nagar police station, alleging that the post-mortem report had been tampered with.

Crime Branch sources said since the results of the post-mortem report were not "very conclusive", they had requested the Delhi government to form a board of doctors to conduct another post-mortem examination.

Family members of the 21-year-old woman alleged that she had a deep injury mark on her body and one near her eye. The South district police had earlier claimed that the injury marks were caused by a rodent, but family members refused to accept the claims.

Last Wednesday, the woman's landlord informed police control room that she was not responding to knocks on her door. Police sources said when they broke open the door, in front of the public, the woman's body was lying on the ground. Her mobile phone was in her hand.

"Prima facie, it appears that there is more that what meets the eye. There were some injury marks on her foot and toes also. We will be able to confirm only after the receipt of the second post-mortem report," a senior police officer said.

A cousin of the woman said when he went to her room on the day of the incident, he suspected murder.

"When I went there along with police, the inside door of the house was open. Her nose was damaged and police said it was eaten by a mouse," the cousin said.

The woman was the fifth child of her parents who are settled in Manipur. The family members work as cultivators.

"My sister lived with her cousin. Her roommate was in Manipur and was to return in the first week of June," the cousin said.

She had come to the capital in July last year and worked at a beauty parlour in Saket.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav confirmed that transfer of the case to the Crime Branch. "We have requested for a post-mortem examination by a board of doctors. We will be able to comment only after that," he said.

Sources said police are looking for a friend of the woman, who is absconding.

A case of murder has been registered at the Malviya Nagar police station.