Delhi Police said the murders were committed for robbery and they are interrogating the couple to ascertain what they stole from the house.The arrested woman is the daughter of a friend of the slain elderly woman.(Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

Three days after an elderly couple and their 20-year-old nursing attendant were found murdered in their Vasant Apartment’s flat in South Delhi’s Vasant Vihar, police on Wednesday claimed to have solved the case and arrested a woman and her friend.

Additional commissioner of police (crime) Rajiv Ranjan confirmed the arrests but said the details will be shared in a press conference to be held later in the day.

Police said the murders were committed for robbery and they are interrogating the couple to ascertain what all they stole from the house.The arrested woman is the daughter of a friend of the slain elderly woman. The other person is said to be the live-in partner of the woman, the police said.

Police said the two are the same persons who had visited the building on a bike on Saturday night and left around 2.30 am on Sunday, almost seven hours before the three bodies were discovered by the elderly couple’s domestic help. Their faces were not visible in the CCTV footage as the man was wearing a helmet while entering and leaving the building whereas the woman had tied a cloth around her face.

"The couple parked their bike at a place that was not covered in any CCTV cameras and in such a way that they can easily escape after committing the crime. When the two left the building, their dresses were changed and they were also carrying a bag with them. This confirmed that they were the killers," said a police officer on condition of anonymity.

The officer said the crime branch team that solved the case scanned previous days footage of the same CCTV camera. Investigators found that the same bike and the couple with their faces covered had visited the neighbourhood on Friday night as well. On that night, the two were seen wandering outside the building where the elderly couple -- Vishnu Mathur,79, and Shashi Mathur, 75, -- lived with their nursing attendant, Khushbu Nautiyal in their first floor flat.

"In the video footage the woman is seen showing her friend the flat by pointing her finger. The duo then asked a neighbour about some local restaurants and left on their bike. We examined all people having access to the elderly couple’s flat and pointed our probe on the daughter of Shashi’s friend. When interrogated, she confessed to the crime and led to her friend, who has also been arrested," the officer cited about said.

First Published: Jun 26, 2019 10:43 IST