New Delhi: A 44-year-old man allegedly strangled his wife to death before taking his own life at their residence in west Delhi’s Anand Parbat, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the matter came to light around 5.26 pm on Wednesday after a call was received reporting a suspicious case of suicide.
Upon receiving the information, a police team rushed to the house in Nai Basti and found a room bolted from within. As repeated calls and knocks went unanswered, the door was forced open, a senior police officer said.
Both the man and the woman were found lying unconscious inside and were later confirmed dead.
Police said the couple lived with their nine-year-old son, while other family members resided nearby. The child was outside the house at the time of the incident and is currently in the care of relatives.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the man had been suffering from depression for over a decade and was undergoing treatment at government hospitals, the officer said, adding that he was on regular medication.
He was employed at a private company in Anand Parbat, while his wife was a homemaker.
“Based on the circumstances at the scene, it appears that the man bolted the room from inside, allegedly strangled his wife, and later died by suicide,” the officer said, cautioning that the findings are subject to further investigation.
A crime team and forensic experts inspected the spot and collected evidence.
Later, the bodies were subsequently taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Lady Hardinge Medical College, where doctors declared them dead.
Post-mortem examinations were conducted on Thursday to determine the exact cause of death.
Police said no suspicion has been raised by family members so far and no eyewitness has come forward. The woman had reportedly called her brother around 4 pm, saying her husband was unwell and asking him to come over.
When there was no response at the house on his arrival, he alerted the police.
A case has been registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (murder), and further investigation is underway. Police said they are examining medical records, forensic reports and statements of relatives to piece together the sequence of events.