Delhi: Adobe software engineer 'beaten to death' by in-laws; wife, 3 others detained
Vinay Gupta died after allegedly being assaulted at his home; police are examining CCTV footage and questioning four detained relatives
A minor dispute over a child’s medicine led to the death of a 31-year-old software engineer in Delhi. The victim, Vinay Gupta, was allegedly assaulted by his wife’s relatives at his home in Nihal Vihar, with his family alleging that they had come with the intention to kill him.
Four people including the victim's wife have been detained in connection with the case, while police are investigating what led to the violence.
Vinay worked as a software engineer with Adobe in Noida and lived with his wife Rekha and their four-and-a-half-month-old twins, a boy and a girl. The couple had been married for around three-and-a-half years.
Argument escalates
According to police and the victim’s family, the incident followed an argument between Vinay and Rekha over giving medicine to their child. Rekha then left the house and contacted her family. Around 10 minutes later, several of her relatives arrived at the couple’s residence in Nihal Vihar.
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The family said the visitors had initially come to discuss the dispute, but the situation soon turned violent. Vinay’s mother, who lived with the couple, had reportedly stepped out to arrange water and refreshments for the visitors. When she returned, she found her son being assaulted and tried to intervene, but the attack continued.
Vinay’s family has alleged that his wife’s relatives strangled him and repeatedly punched and kicked him, including on the chest. According to the preliminary probe, the victim’s family also alleged that the assault was pre-planned and claimed that Rekha switched off CCTV cameras at the house before the incident.
CCTV footage scrutiny
CCTV footage from the area reportedly captured some of Rekha’s relatives arriving at the house. Later, footage showed Vinay being carried towards a hospital by a neighbour, with members of Rekha’s family seen following him. He was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
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Police and a forensic team have since examined the house and collected evidence.
'They came to kill my son'
Vinay was a resident of Laxmi Park and was reportedly earning around Rs 60 lakh a year. His parents lived on the lower floor of the house, while he and Rekha stayed on the third floor. His family has alleged that the couple had frequent disagreements and that Rekha’s brother had previously threatened Vinay over minor disputes.
Vinay's mother Renu alleged that the accused came with an intention to kill her son. "Minor domestic squabbles happen all the time, but they came there with a calculated, sinister plan. They came with the intent to kill my son. She just stood there watching. She felt no pity, even as her husband was being killed. She didn't even think to step in and stop her brother... She deliberately let him get killed," she told reporters.
She alleged that the accused "crushed" her son's lungs. "A neighbour even witnessed it from the window, seeing both brothers stomping on my son's chest, crushing his lungs... I grabbed a stick to defend him, but it was snatched away by an uncle who had come with them. They beat my son and left. The security cameras happened to be turned off at that exact moment."
Premchand, Vinay's father, said, "It was just a minor domestic matter. There was nothing major about it. They arrived, and I thought, 'Relatives have come; we'll talk.' I took them upstairs. I was offering them water. Then my son arrived. As soon as he did, they all pounced on him... It happened right in front of me. They even shoved me. I have a fracture in my thumb... They got married three and a half years ago and had two children."