Defence Ministry official allegedly murders wife, commits suicide

A Defence Ministry official was found charred to death and his wife strangled at their residence in Andrews Ganj here on Friday. The police suspect that the official murdered his wife and then set himself ablaze, but why he purportedly did so is not clear.

The tragic case came to light around 1-30 p.m. when an air-conditioning mechanic on a visit noticed a burning smell emanating from the residence of Kumar Yashkar (43) and his wife Archana Sharma (41) in the transit accommodation of J-Block HUDCO Place Extension. Mr. Yashkar, a civilian officer, was presently posted as Deputy Director in the Directorate-General Medical Services under the Armed Forces Headquarters Services.

The mechanic alerted a neighbour, who called up the Delhi Fire Service after he did not get any response from inside despite repeated knocks at the door. The local police were also intimated.

The fire officials broke open the rear door to enter the premises and found the burnt body of Mr. Yashkar lying in one of the rooms. They also found the body of his wife, with a chunni wrapped around her neck. “She had not sustained any burns,” said a police officer.

“A team of experts lifted evidence from the premises and the process continued till evening. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Mr. Yashkar first strangled his wife with the chunni and then set himself ablaze. The doors were locked from inside, negating possible intrusion or entry of any outsider. The incident probably took place hours before it was discovered. However, timing of the deaths would be established through post-mortem that would be conducted on Saturday. We will also search the premises for other clues,” said the officer. The police are contemplating constitution of a medical board for conducting the post-mortem.

The police have not yet come across any note left behind by the official. They would contact his neighbours and colleagues to gather more information on the relationship between the couple.

Enquiries by the police revealed that Mr. Yashkar belonged to Bihar and his wife, a classical dancer, was from Delhi. Theirs was a love marriage. The couple did not have any child. It is learnt that Mr. Yashkar was considered to be a very talented person, who had obtained a doctorate from a prestigious university abroad.