Another case of brute violence against a 16 year old woman domestic help has shocked the Indian capital, Delhi. A 16-year-old domestic help from Jharkhand was killed and her body chopped into pieces after she demanded her salary from the men who brought her to the capital, police said. One of the men has been arrested and a search is on to nab three other accused. According to police, the body parts were found in separate packets in a drain in outer Delhi’s Miyanwali Nagar on May 4. Additional DCP (outer) Rajender Singh Sagar told The Indian Express that the accused, Manjeet Singh Karketa (30), was nabbed from his rented accommodation in Nangloi’s Bhooton Wali Gali on May 17.
Accused, Manjeet, and his associates killed Soni Kumari after she demanded that he return her salary and let her go home. Image Courtesy: Indian Express
Additional DCP (outer) Rajender Singh Sagar told The Indian Express that the accused, Manjeet Singh Karketa (30), was nabbed from his rented accommodation in Nangloi’s Bhooton Wali Gali on May 17. “Manjeet disclosed that he, along with his accomplices, brought the victim, Soni Kumari, to Delhi three years ago. They found her employment at a house in East of Kailash,” said DCP Sagar. Police said Kumari used to earn Rs 6,000 a month, and that Manjeet used to take all her salary to keep her under his control. However, a year later, she started demanding her salary so that she could return home.
That is when the assaults began. “Manjeet then took her to his home in Nangloi and tried to pacify her. When his efforts failed, he, along with Shalu (31) and Gauri (36), strangled the girl on May 3. They then chopped up the body, put the pieces in plastic bags and dumped them in a drain nearby. We had to join the head with the torso to identify the girl,” said Sagar. Police said that on scanning CCTV cameras near the drain, some persons could be seen carrying packets. A team led by Inspector Sukhbir Malik, under the supervision of ACP (Operations) Dinesh Kumar, then went to 200 houses in nearby localities with a photo of the girl.
“They showed the photo to residents… one of them said he had spotted the girl in a house in Bhooton Wali Gali. The team when to the house but found it locked… Manjeet was finally nabbed on May 17 when he visited his residence,” said the DCP. During questioning, Manjeet told police that he and his accomplices, Shalu and Gauri — who are also domestic helps — used to lure young girls from poor families in Jharkhand with employment opportunities in Delhi.
They would bring the girls to the capital and find them jobs as domestic helps, police said. “With the help of one Rakesh, the trio found Kumari a job. Rakesh used to take the money from her employer, which they split amongst themselves,” added Sagar.
Police said the girl was not allowed to contact her family, adding that Rakesh and Manjeet had told the girl’s employer that she was their relative and that they were in touch with her parents. Police said they will approach her employer for further investigation, and, if required, will book them under relevant charges as well.