Woman kills mother-in-law with frying pan, caught on CCTV as husband watches
New Delhi, May 10: Police in south Delhi's Neb Sarai area have said that a 48-year-old woman beat her 86-year-old mother-in-law to death using a frying pan. They suspect that the accused, identified as Sarmishta Som, may have grown frustrated with taking care of the elderly woman, who was suffering from arthritis.
The victim, Hasi Som, was found with multiple injuries on her face and skull on April 28. The police were alerted by a person who said his friend's mother had fallen in her flat and was bleeding.
Sarmishta Som, her husband Surjit Som (51) and their 16-year-old daughter had been living with Hasi Som since 2014. The family hails from Kolkata and Hasi Som had been living alone in the West Bengal capital until March 2022, when Surjit brought her to Delhi and rented a flat for her in front of his own.
When the police reached the scene, they found Hasi Som lying in the kitchen. Surjit said his mother was suffering from arthritis for a long time and had problems walking. Initially, family members and neighbors did not suspect any wrongdoing. But the post-mortem report revealed that the injuries could not have been caused by a normal fall.
During the inquiry, Surjit's daughter said her mother and grandmother did not have a cordial relationship. Surjit confirmed this. On the day of the incident, only Sarmishta was present in the flat. Later, Surjit confessed that before calling the police, he had taken out the memory card of the CCTV camera placed in the bedroom of the victim.
The CCTV footage revealed that around 10:30 am on April 28, Sarmishta entered Hasi Som's flat with a frying pan. She went behind the victim in the kitchen, which was out of CCTV coverage, and dealt several blows to her. The elderly woman's cries could be heard on the CCTV recording. Surjit saw the footage after the last rites of his mother and shared his apprehension with the police.
The post-mortem report, received on May 9, attributed the death to ante-mortem injuries. According to the autopsy report, there were 14 injuries all over the body. Based on the inquiry, Surjeet's testimony, CCTV footage and the post-mortem report, a case under IPC section 302 has been registered and Sarmishta arrested. Police said they could not find an immediate trigger for the incident, but suspect it could have been caused by Sarmishta's longstanding frustration of taking care of the elderly person and helping her with daily routine.
- With inputs from agencies
