Uttar Pradesh couple kill landlady after rent demand; chop body and pack it in suitcase

The Ghaziabad couple owed an outstanding rent of Rs 90,000

Lucknow: A couple who lived in a rented accommodation in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, allegedly hacked to death their landlady and packed her body in a suitcase after chopping it into pieces when the latter demanded outstanding rent from them.

The incident happened on Wednesday night, when the landlady, identified as Deepshikha Sharma, went to the rented flat at Aura Chimera Society in Rajnagar Extension area in the town.

The accused, identified as Ajai Gupta and his wife Akriti Gulta, owed Rs 90,000 in rent, reports said.

According to sources, the couple hit Deepshikha with a pressure cooker on her head and later strangled her to death. They then allegedly chopped her body into pieces and packed them in a suitcase.

The couple, who planned to throw the suitcase in a secluded place, were confronted by Deepshikha’s maid, who suspected foul play after the couple failed to tell her about the landlady’s whereabouts.

The maid locked the couple in the flat and informed the police. The police later recovered the body from the suitcase, which was hidden under a bed, sources said. The couple was arrested.

Deepshikha's mother said that the couple had called her daughter on the pretext of paying the rent and killed her in a pre-planned manner.

She said Deepshikha had heated arguments with the couple earlier also over payment of outstanding rent.