Changed Outfits Thrice, Anand Vihar Detour, Stolen Scooter: Tenant Couple's Desperate Bid To Outsmart Cops After Killing DU Professor

New Delhi: A Delhi University professor was murdered by her tenant couple in a meticulously planned conspiracy to grab her property in West Bengal, with investigators revealing that the accused went to extraordinary lengths to evade arrest before being tracked down through hundreds of CCTV cameras.

Police have arrested Ramprasad Das (42) and his wife Baneshree Das (36), both residents of West Bengal, for the murder of 44-year-old Delhi University professor Debobosmita Paul, whose body was found at her residence in New Ashok Nagar in east Delhi on June 4. The couple's minor child has also been apprehended in connection with the case.

After a couple was arrested in connection with the murder of a Delhi University professor who was found dead in her flat at Satyam Apartments in Vasundhara Enclave on June 4, the Delhi police detained another individual from West Bengal.

According to Rajeev Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), the accused had been plotting the murder for a long time after a dispute over a property owned by the professor in West Bengal.

Police said Paul owned a house in West Bengal where the accused couple had been living as tenants along with their children. The professor had repeatedly asked them to vacate the property, but the couple allegedly pressured her either to sell the house to them or allow them to continue living there. When she refused, they allegedly began planning her murder.

Investigators said the couple travelled from West Bengal to Delhi and checked into a hotel using a fake identity. To avoid detection, they wore masks, caps and glasses while moving around the city.

On the day of the crime, Ramprasad allegedly entered the professor's residence and attacked her with a wooden stick, striking her on the head. Police said he then used a razor blade to cut a vein in her hand in an attempt to ensure her death.

According to investigators, the accused changed clothes three times during the course of the crime to erase evidence and mislead police. He first changed clothes at the hotel before carrying out the murder, changed again at the crime scene after the killing, and later changed for a third time at New Delhi Railway Station before fleeing the capital.

The couple allegedly used a complex escape route to throw investigators off their trail. After leaving the crime scene, they travelled by taxi to Anand Vihar before taking an auto-rickshaw to New Delhi Railway Station. From there, they boarded a train to West Bengal using a general ticket.

Police said Ramprasad continued to wear a mask, cap and glasses even after reaching West Bengal. However, investigators got a crucial breakthrough when Baneshree briefly removed her face covering, allowing officers to identify the couple through CCTV footage.

After getting off the train in West Bengal, the accused allegedly walked to a nearby market and stole a parked scooter before riding home.

The investigation involved the analysis of nearly 300 CCTV cameras across Delhi and West Bengal. Police traced the suspects' movements frame by frame, eventually leading to their arrest.

During searches conducted after the arrests, police recovered more than 20 wristwatches and a bundle of counterfeit currency notes from Ramprasad. Investigators suspect he was involved in a series of thefts on trains, allegedly stealing watches from sleeping passengers and cheating people using fake currency notes. However, police said no formal cases had previously been registered against him in connection with those activities.

Earlier reports had stated that the professor lived alone in Delhi while her husband and son resided in West Bengal. The murder came to light after family members and acquaintances were unable to contact her and alerted authorities.

Police said the accused have confessed to the crime during interrogation, and further investigation is underway to determine whether any additional persons were involved in the conspiracy.

ALSO READ: Delhi University Professor Murdered After Refusing to Sell West Bengal Property; Tenant Couple Arrested