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

New Delhi: In a chilling case that has sent shockwaves through academic circles, a Delhi University professor was allegedly murdered by her tenants from West Bengal after she repeatedly refused to sell them her ancestral house in Burdwan district.

The victim, identified as Debosmita Paul, was found dead in Delhi flat on Tuesday evening. Police sources said she had suffered multiple stab wounds and signs of struggle were evident at the scene.

According to preliminary investigations, the victim had inherited a spacious independent house in Burdwan (now Bardhaman), West Bengal, from her parents. The arrested couple, identified as Sujit and Rina Ghosh, had been renting a portion of the property for nearly eight years. Police believe the couple had been pressuring Dr Paul to sell the house to them at a “discounted” price for the past two years, citing their long association and plans to expand their small business in the area.

Debosmita Paul, who lived alone in Delhi, had reportedly informed the Ghosh couple in writing last month that she had no intention of selling the property and was instead planning to renovate it for family use. Investigators suspect this final refusal became the trigger for the crime.

Planned and Executed in Cold Blood

The couple allegedly travelled to Delhi, gained entry into Paul's flat under the pretext of discussing “urgent maintenance issues” related to the Bengal property, and murdered her. They then attempted to stage the scene as a robbery before fleeing back to West Bengal.

Acting swiftly on leads including CCTV footage from the victim’s locality and mobile tower locations, a joint team of Delhi Police and West Bengal Police tracked the couple to Burdwan. Both were arrested late on Saturday night from a relative’s house.