Retired MEA official attacked, his wife stabbed to death during robbery attempt in Delhi

A 94-year-old retired External Affairs Ministry official was attacked and his 88-year-old wife stabbed to death during a robbery bid, allegedly by their security guard, at their home in south Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave, police said on Sunday.

B R Chawla and his wife Kanta Chawla lived alone in the upper ground floor of the building after the death of their two children a few years ago.

The incident took place around 9 PM on Saturday when their personal security guard, who was hired recently through a domestic help, arrived at their home with his two-three associates, the police said, adding that the accused have been arrested.

According to police, the guard and his associates barged inside the Chawla house, overpowered the couple and forced them to sit on a sofa. They tied the man's hands and legs with a a rope.

When Kanta tried to resist the robbery bid, one of the accused stabbed her with a sharp object. She became unconscious and fell on the sofa, a senior police officer said.

The men then went to their bedroom and took away all the cash and jewellery kept in their cupboard, he said.

While his wife was lying injured, the retired MEA official managed to go outside the house to alert their neighbours, who informed the Residents Welfare Association president.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to the injuries, he said.

The couple had hired the guard with the help of their building security guard Jitendra Kumar, who has been working in the society for the last 25 years.

Recalling the incident, Kumar said he had just come for his shift in the night when he received a call from Chawlas' neighbours from the third floor about the robbery.

Kumar said he immediately rushed to their home and found that the man was sitting on a chair while his wife was lying injured on the floor. She had injuries in the neck and her clothes were soaked with blood stains.

"Mr Chawla was in shock. He told us that robbers took away all the cash and jewellery. I along with my reliever then placed her body on a bed and called up the RWA president to inform him about the incident," Kumar told PTI.

Kumar said this is for the first time that such an incident was reported in the colony in his 25 years of experience.

The society is under 24x7 watch and has eight CCTV cameras, he said.

RWA president V K Malhotra, who lives in the adjacent building of the Chawlas' said the couple was registered with Delhi Police's Senior Citizen Scheme.

"We have a security guard here 24 hours, one in the morning while another in night hours. The couple had also hired a separate guard recently," he said.

The couple's personal guard was not verified by police, he said.

A case has been registered and teams have been formed to nab the culprits, police said, adding that CCTV cameras in the area are also being scanned.