Man who slit throat of ex-lover beheaded toddler in Delhi held in Uttarakhand

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) A man who used to physically abuse his former partner was arrested for brutally killing her and a six-month-old baby in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila after she left him, an official said on Wednesday.
    The accused, identified as Nikhil, aged between 22-25 years, was held from Haldwani in Uttarakhand, which is his native place.
    "He put strips of tape on the mouths of the woman and the child to ensure that nobody heard their cries. He then slit the woman's throat and beheaded the child," Ravi, the toddler's uncle, told PTI.
    A team from the Civil Lines Police Station reached the scene and found both victims lying in a pool of blood inside a room, the police said.
    Nikhil had come in contact with the toddler's father a few months ago.
    "My brother runs a mobile shop in the same area Nikhil was working after which they started talking. Then his wife and the victim became good friends," Ravi added.
    According to sources, Nikhil, a restaurant worker in Timarpur, and the victim’s relationship was known to both their families who were also planning to get them married.
    "They were in a relationship for about six years. Their families were planning to get them married after the woman’s elder siblings got married," a police source said.
    Nikhil had started beating the victim over the last year and had frequent fights, the source added, stating that, "The victim moved to her friend’s house recently after ending her relationship with him."
    Enraged over her leaving him, he went to the friend’s home where she was staying and killed her and the toddler on Tuesday afternoon.
    Nikhil also tried to die by suicide in the house, but after his attempt failed, he fled to his sister’s place in Haldoni, another police source said.
    "The accused also cleaned the knife used in the murder with water and took it with him to hide the crime. To avoid getting detected, he also left his mobile phone at the scene of the crime so the police could not trace him," the source added.
    The brother of the woman who was killed told PTI that they had no idea how the matter escalated and had rushed from Nainital after they heard the news.
    "My mother has been inconsolable since she heard the news. We are devastated," he said.
    The woman, who was unemployed for a while, was staying with Nikhil in Khoda Colony before moving to Majnu Ka Tila.
    "The woman experienced several issues and frequent arguments with Nikhil, leading her to leave him and stay with her friend," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.     
    At the time of the incident, the mother was out with her husband picking up her 5-year-old daughter from school.
    According to police sources, Nikhil allegedly killed the woman first out of anger for leaving him and then murdered the toddler as revenge against the mother for providing his former partner a place to stay away from him.
    A few days before the incident, Nikhil had an argument with the victim's friend, which left him distressed, the source added.
    Meanwhile, the bodies of both victims were handed over to the families. The woman’s body was taken to Nainital by her family while the toddler will be buried in Delhi.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)