JOIN USMinor help found dead with burns
A 17-year-old girl who worked as a domestic help was found dead at a house in outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri on Wednesday.
The owner of the house claimed that she committed suicide or died accidentally, but police are probing into the death as a case of murder.
Angry over the mysterious death, family members of the girl and locals went on a rampage trying to vandalise the house and even setting it on fire.
Lathicharge, tear gas
Police resorted to lathicharge and firing tear gas shells to disperse the mob.
The girl lived with her family at a JJ Colony in Deepali Enclave.
Police said she was found dead in the house of a man named Atul Verma, 50.
She had reported for work at the house around 2 pm, and was found dead after some hours.
The incident came to light when the girl’s elder sister went to meet her at the house.
“After entering the house, she found a strong stench of burnt objects lingering in the rooms. When she enquired, she was told by Atul’s family members that there was a short circuit in the house,” said the girl’s mother.
Bloodstains in the room
The girl also noticed bloodstains in the room which made her suspicious.
She returned home to inform her family.
“Coming to know about the incident, I and my husband joined my daughter and we went to the house again. There we discovered that my younger daughter’s body lying in the bathroom. It was completely charred and the face had been disfigured,” the girl’s mother added.
They then returned to the JJ Colony to report the matter to locals. By around 4 pm, over 100 people gathered outside the house to protest.
Damaged property
They even damaged property, and the situation was brought under control only after senior police officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Vikramjit Singh, reached the spot.
The mob resorted to stone pelting and targeted a Hyundai Santro. They also damaged the house’s gate, windows and flower pots kept outside.
The crowd was dispersed after police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells.
The girl was a class 11 student at a government school and used to go to work after coming back from school every day. On Wednesday, too, she had gone for work.
Argument with employer
Her father told police that she had been working at the house for the last one year. She often used to have heated arguments with Atul’s mother.
Before leaving home on Wednesday, she had told her family that she had been asked to report early at work.
Atul has been detained for questioning, and police have also recorded the statement of his family members.