Manish Gupta, Mount Kailash Murder: Delhi Doctor Who Killed Househelp Had Argued With Wife Over Firing Her

New Delhi:

A doctor who allegedly killed his 45-year-old domestic help at his residence in Delhi had recently argued with his wife over firing her, a senior police officer told NDTV on Friday, a day after the brutal murder sent shockwaves through the capital.

Manish Gupta, a dermatologist, thrashed his househelp, Meena, who was working with him for about 15 years, with a cricket bat and stabbed her with a knife at his residence in southeast Delhi’s upscale Mount Kailash area on Thursday morning. It was initially reported that Gupta, said to be in his 50s, targeted her over suspicions of black magic or “negative energy”, but the police later said that there was no evidence to support such claims.

Gupta had recently argued with his wife, an Ayurvedic practitioner, over removing the domestic help from their home, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari told NDTV. His wife opposed the idea, pointing out that Meena had taken care of Gupta’s mother during her battle with cancer.

Investigators believe the argument made Gupta feel that his importance in the family was less than the domestic help, allegedly triggering him.

The police also suspect that an argument took place between Gupta and Meena shortly before he killed her.

The police said that Gupta has been undergoing treatment for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for nearly 10 years and has been on anti-depressant medication.

Screams Heard From Terrace

The police said that at around 11.36 am, a resident from the colony reported that a woman had been murdered on the terrace of a neighbouring building and was lying in a pool of blood.

A police team then rushed to the spot and found Gupta near the body.

“I am surrendering,” he allegedly told them.

A cricket bat and a blood-soaked knife were recovered from the spot.

Locals and domestic workers in the area said that screams were heard from the terrace shortly before the incident came to light.

Gupta’s wife was at her nursing home when the incident occurred.

Meena’s Family Devastated

Meena’s family members, devastated by her killing, said they don’t know what happened.

“I don’t exactly know what happened. She was fine when she left. Someone called me and said she is dead,” PTI quoted her son, Robin, as saying.

“She had been working there for the past 15 years. My friend called and told me that my mother had been killed. She had left home as usual in the morning. I still cannot believe it,” he added.

Meena’s brother, Shubho Dhargal, questioned the circumstances surrounding the murder and said they were kept in the dark initially.

“Every day she used to leave for work as usual. I was informed by relatives that my sister had been killed. When I reached there, police did not allow me to see her body. We only came to know later what had happened,” he said.

“She Was A Quiet Woman”

Pooja Verma, a domestic worker who earlier worked with Meena at the doctor’s residence, said she was associated with the family for years and was a known person in the area.

“I used to work with her before. She had been working there for many years. We heard she was attacked badly. She was a quiet woman and mostly kept to herself,” Verma was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

The police are currently analysing CCTV footage from nearby buildings and recording statements of neighbours, family members, domestic workers and the person who made the PCR call.

“He Was Very Nice”

A neighbour living in the adjacent building, from where the call was made to the police about the incident, rejected claims that Gupta appeared mentally unstable and described him as a “very nice neighbour”.

“We never had any problem with his behaviour. His wife is also a very decent lady,” the neighbour said.