The Hindu : Front Page : Aarushi’s father held for double murder

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 24, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Aarushi’s father held for double murder

Special Correspondent

NOIDA/LUCKNOW: The Noida police on Friday cracked the sensational double murder case of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar and the family’s domestic help Hemraj with the arrest of the girl’s father, Dr. Rajesh Talwar, though the purported motive of the crime cited by the police left many questions unanswered.

Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal told reporters in Lucknow that Dr. Talwar – who was arrested at 12 noon on Friday near the Sector 21 temple in Noida -- had confessed to the crime.

He said Hemraj was first rendered senseless with the help of a hammer and then his throat was slit open with a surgeon’s knife. After executing the murder on the terrace of his residence, Dr. Talwar, who is a seasoned dentist, came down to his daughter’s bedroom and allegedly executed the second murder in a similar fashion. Aarushi was purportedly asleep at the time of her killing.

After midnight

The police officer said the twin murders were carried out after midnight and there was a difference of about 30 minutes between the first and second killing. In the intervening period, Dr. Talwar purportedly helped himself to a couple of drinks. All this while, Dr. Talwar’s wife, Dr. Nupur Talwar, was purportedly asleep and oblivious to the fact that her daughter and domestic help had been killed mercilessly at their residence.

The hammer and the surgeon’s knife allegedly used in the bloody crime have not yet been recovered despite the case being worked out jointly by the Noida police and the Special Task Force of UP Police. As for the visit by a team of the Noida police to Hardwar on Thursday, the ADG said it was a matter of investigation and nothing could be disclosed.

Two theories

The sex angle figured prominently as the possible motive behind the sensational murders executed on May 15-16 night at the Sector 25 residence of the Talwars. Mr. Lal listed two theories as the immediate cause for provocation. One, Dr. Talwar’s extra-marital relations with Dr. Anita Durrani, the wife of Dr. Talwar’s friend and colleague at Fortis Hospital, Dr. Praful Durrani.

The ADG said Dr. Talwar used to bring Ms. Durrani to his residence when his wife was away.

The dentist’s extra-marital affair was objected to by his daughter and eventually the domestic help and other servants in his household and clinic came to know about the affair.

According to the senior police officer, the accused was perturbed that his illicit relations were known to everyone barring perhaps his wife Nupur, who is also a dentist. Asked whether the wife was aware of her husband’s extra-marital relations, the ADG reiterated that it was a matter of investigation.

“Life in danger”

Since Aarushi and Hemraj were privy to the dentist’s alleged extra-marital affair, they got close. This was not liked by Dr. Talwar, Mr. Lal added. Their proximity was the second immediate cause for provocation for the double murder, the police officer emphasised.

Mr. Lal said the domestic help had confessed to one of the servants, Krishna, that his life was in danger. On the night of the crime, Dr. Talwar first surfed the Internet and made a phone call to the US before going straight to Hemraj’s quarters on the terrace. He took a hammer and a surgeon’s knife with him. Not finding Hemraj in his quarters, Dr. Talwar went to his daughter’s room only to find Aarushi and Hemraj in an “objectionable state”, Mr. Lal said. The accused thereafter took the domestic help to the terrace and allegedly killed him before murdering his teenaged daughter.

The ADG said the girl’s mother went off to sleep at around 11 p.m. and was thus unaware of the crime.

He said it was a planned murder with the intention of killing Hemraj only, but Aarushi was killed to wipe out the witness to the crime.

Mr. Lal indicated that Ms. Durrani would also be interrogated and the case has not been closed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page