Delhi doctor arrested on suspicion of killing domestic help over ‘bad energy’

A 54-year old domestic help who has been working at a doctor’s residence in South Delhi’s Mount Kailash area was hit on the head with a cricket bat and fatally stabbed multiple times by her employer on the suspicion that she was bringing “bad energy” to the house, which affected his son’s studies. The accused, Dr Manish Gupta, a dermatologist (50), then went downstairs from the terrace, where he committed the murder, and put the weapons he used near the staircase.

Son’s involvement ruled out

The brutal murder of Meena Haldar, which took place on Thursday (June 18), has initially led to speculation regarding the role of Gupta’s son in the incident. However, the Delhi Police has dismissed the speculation, stating Gupta committed the crime alone.

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According to media reports, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said that preliminary investigation has indicated that Gupta attacked and killed the victim himself, adding that his son has no connection with the murder.

Police said that at about 10.15 am on Thursday, Gupta’s wife Tina went out to work as he and his son were in the third-floor apartment.

After 15 to 20 minutes, Haldar arrived at the apartment for her daily work and then went to the terrace to hang clothes for drying. Gupta followed the victim to the terrace and murdered her.

Police outline sequence

Police said that Gupta had told them during interrogation that he had disagreements with his family over Haldar, whom he wanted to remove from the job, as he suspected that she was bringing “bad energy” to his home, which disrupted his son’s studies, but his family members opposed the decision.

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"He told us that he wanted Meena to be removed from the job, but his family members refused to do so. He was upset and felt bad that nobody listened to him. He also told us that he suspected that Meena was bringing bad energy to the house, and this affected his son's studies," police said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

The crime came to light when a resident of a nearby noticed Haldar lying on the terrace in a pool of blood. Police rushed to the spot after being informed through a PCR call and found that Haldar had died.

Mental health angle probed

"She used to work as a domestic help at Gupta's house…and had been there for a long period of time. The accused was also present inside the house and was sitting near the body. He has admitted hitting the victim with a bat and later attacked her with a knife," said Tiwari.

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"As of now, the doctor has admitted to the crime and said he was upset with the domestic help. The family has also claimed that he was undergoing treatment for mental health issues for the last 10 years. We are checking all medical documents," he added.

Gupta, who was sitting near the body when the police arrived, was arrested at the spot.

Family seeks answers

Reacting to the incident, the son of the deceased Robin Haldar said, "My mother worked very hard to run the house for years when I was a kid. She provided us with the best life. I can't believe she was brutally killed for no reason. She never took leaves, she always showed up on time. She always listened to them (Guptas). Why did they do this? My mother was lying in a pool of blood. It looks like he stabbed her multiple times. Why? I want answers. My mother always praised them. She worked there for more than 10-12 years.".