NEW DELHI: An elderly couple were murdered by some intruders at Greater Kailash Part-I in South Delhi on Saturday. The police suspect it to be a case of murder-cum-robbery involving someone known to the couple.

The police received a call around 4 p.m. claiming that S.D. Khosla (80) and his wife Santosh (75) had been attacked by someone in their Greater Kailash Part-I house. The police immediately rushed to the spot and learnt that the couple had been rushed to a nearby nursing home. While Santosh was declared dead on arrival, Mr. Khosla, who had sustained serious head injuries, died at the AIIMS late at night. The police said Santosh had stab injuries in the neck and stomach.

Enquiries revealed that after retiring from the post of executive director with the IDBI Bank, Mr. Khosla had been working as a consultant for Munjal Showa, a company that manufactures shockers for Hero Honda, having office in Gurgaon. Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, some company officials went to meet Mr. Khosla at his residence when they heard screams.

As they entered the house, they were shocked to see him and his wife lying in a pool of blood. They immediately called the police and rushed them to the nursing home. "We have lifted fingerprints from the spot," said a senior police officer, adding that there was no ransacking in the house. "Circumstantial evidence suggests that the assailants were known to the couple as there was a friendly entry into the house. Two- three almirahs in the house have been found opened, which indicated that the intruders knew well that where the valuables had been kept. It seems that they attacked the couple with an intention to kill them, to make sure that their identities remained a secret," the police officer added.

The police have learnt that a maid worked in Mr. Khosla's house, and that he had not hired a permanent domestic help. While she has been summoned for questioning at the local police station, the police would also question the relatives and friends of Mr. Khosla in this connection. Mr. Khosla's son is married and is settled in the United States, while his daughter, who lives at Alaknanda in South Delhi, is presently on a tour to Goa. It is learnt that his wife, Santosh, is a close relative of Naresh Trehan of the Escorts Hearts Institute. The police were trying to contact her.

While the police have registered a case, they are preparing a list of all those who knew Mr. Khosla and visited his residence regularly.

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