During questioning murder victim Rohit Shekhar Tiwari’s wife Apoorva Shukla , she allegedly told the investigators on Tuesday that she was with him in his room for an hour-and-a-half around 1 a.m. on the night prior to the incident.
Ms. Shukla, the prime suspect in the case, said the couple spent some time in his room before she left, said sources in Crime Branch.
“She has hinted at an accident at that time, the claims of which are being verified,” an investigating officer said. However, the police are awaiting forensic evidence to establish her presence in the room between 1a.m.-3 a.m. — the hours estimated by doctors as the time of death.
The investigators are yet arrive at a motive to confirm Ms. Shukla’s involvement. “It does not appear to be a case of planned murder, more likely one committed on a sudden provocation,” the officer said.
Evidence in the murder is a hurdle that the investigators seem to face. The case was initially handled by district police when the death was suspected to be natural till the post-mortem report, which stated that he had been strangulated and smothered .
Finger marks on neck
“There are clear finger marks on his neck but a DNA sample was not taken at the time he was found dead and even before the post-mortem. Though, there were slim chances of getting a DNA because he was discovered nearly 14 hours after his death,” the officer said.
The call record details of three mobile phones — one of Ms. Shukla’s and two belonging to Rohit — have been examined, said sources. No calls were made or received during the night on the three phones, they said, adding that the details of the five landline numbers are being analysed.
However, Ms. Shukla, who belongs from Indore, had made a call to an astrologer there around 6 a.m., her call detail record shows, said sources.
Ms. Shukla said “all was well” between the couple and objected to Rohit’s relationship with his cousin Rajiv’s wife, said sources. She also objected to a property matter involving Mr. Rajiv’s family.
Sources said a clean chit has been given to two of the six people present in the house on the night of April 15. “There were six people apart from Rohit in the house that night — his half-brother Sidharth, a female house help on the ground floor, wife Ms. Shukla, driver Akhilesh on the first floor and house help Golu and his wife in the rooftop room. So far, no role of Sidharth and the female help has been found,” the officer said, adding that Golu’s wife “does not appear to have been involved”, leaving investigators to ascertain the involvement of other three persons.
Akhilesh has been working with the family for nearly 10 years and was treated well by them, said sources.
The Tiwaris took care of Golu and his family. “He gets a decent salary and the family pays for their child’s tuition also,” the officer said.
When family members, including Ms. Shukla, were asked why nobody checked on Rohit since the morning of April 16 as he was “sleeping”, investigators were allegedly informed that he was suffering from insomnia and they never disturbed him till he woke up himself.
“The wife had asked Golu to check on him around 9 a.m. on April 16 but he claims to have only peeped inside and on seeing the lights off, he returned,” the officer said.
Rohit was declared brought dead at a city hospital on April 16.
