Of late, the city capital has hit the headlines for the crime graph climbing up. In a sensational murder of three persons in Delhi's Vasant Apartment in Vasant Village that shocked the city to the core, the Crime Branch has arrested two in this connection. The accused identified as Preeti Sehrawat alias Mona 42 years and Manoj Bhatt 39 years confessed to having slain the elderly Vishnu Swaroop Mathur, Shashi Mathur and Khushbu, a nursing attendant.
They had been evading arrest moving from one place to another before finally being cornered at a hotel in Sector 28 Gurugram, Haryana.
A case FIR No. 84/19 dt. 23.06.19 under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, PS Vasant Vihar was registered in this regard.
Keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter, a team led by DCP Rajesh Deo, comprising ACP Jasbir Singh, Inspector Neeraj Kumar, Inspector Vijay Samaria, SI Manoj Yadav, SI Surendra Sharma, SI Surender Rana, Sandeep, Satyapal and others was constituted under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police, Crime Rajiv Ranjan to work out this case. The crime was probed through various angles. A vital clue was provided by the daughter of the deceased who revealed that a few days ago, one Preeti Sehrawat, daughter of her deceased mother’s colleague suddenly visited her parents and also stayed there overnight. Preeti Sehrawat had conversed with the daughter of the deceased on that night on the telephone. It was further revealed that Preeti had used the phone of the deceased Khushbu (Nursing attendant) to talk to the daughter of the deceased.
The sudden visit of Preeti raised doubts and technical surveillance was mounted on her.
A raid was conducted and she was detained with her live-in partner Manoj. Subsequently, both were subjected to sustained interrogation and they confessed to their crime, which they had planned due to their extreme financial crunch. They revealed that they were constantly on the lookout for a vulnerable target and had zeroed-in on the couple, a soft target, senior citizens at house number 234, first floor, Vasant Apartment, Vasant Village, New Delhi.
Preeti on purpose came and stayed overnight to do the reccee. Both Preeti and her partner Manoj reached the Vasant Apartment flat on a motorcycle, aware of the CCTV cameras they kept their faces muffled.
Preeti went to the flat and Manoj followed after waiting for a few minutes. Khushbu opened the door, while the Mathurs were in their bed room. Manoj asked Khushbu to switch on the TV to suppress any possible scream. He then took out a bottle of Pepsi in which he had already mixed alcohol. Preeti asked Khushbu to prepare tea. Thereafter, Manoj stabbed Khushbu multiple times in the dining area and then went on to kill the elderly couple. Soon thereafter, they ransacked the entire house for more than two hours. Then they left the house with the stolen items and went to Sector 9, Gurugram at the house of Preeti. She subsequently booked a hotel and both of them checked into it. They moved to another hotel from where they were detained.
"Preeti Sehrawat alias Mona has done Hotel Management diploma and used to run a restaurant in the area of Sector 9 Gurugram, Haryana. She had earlier got married to one Nicholas in the year 2000. Her husband left her in the year 2005 and settled in Canada. She met Manoj Bhatt at her birthday party about 3 years ago and started a live-in relationship with him. Initially, the duo started the business of restaurant and ran into huge losses. Then they both started a Paying Guest House in Sector 38, Gurugram and again suffered losses. Manoj Bhatt studied upto class 10. We have recovered one Black Color Pulsar Motorcycle with registration number HR 26 CQ 7761 used in commission of crime, one diamond studded ring, gold chain and one artificial gold color bangle of the deceased couple and rupees 86,000 in cash. The team will be suitably rewarded and further investigation is underway," Satish Golcha Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch spoke.
