A 48-year-old woman, identified as Sarmishta Som, has been arrested for allegedly beating her 86-year-old mother-in-law to death with a frying pan in south Delhi’s Neb Sarai area. The incident came to light when a friend of the victim’s son informed the police about her fall in her flat and bleeding. Upon reaching the spot, police found Hasi Som lying in the kitchen with multiple injuries on her face and skull. Her son, Surjit Som, stated that his mother was suffering from arthritis for a long time and had difficulty walking. However, during the post-mortem, the doctor opined that such injuries could not be caused by a normal fall.
The CCTV footage from the bedroom of the victim revealed that Sarmishta Som entered her mother-in-law’s flat with a frying pan and went behind the victim in the kitchen, which was out of CCTV coverage. She then dealt several blows to her, and the elderly woman’s cries could be heard on the CCTV recording. Surjit Som later confessed that he had taken out the memory card of the CCTV camera placed in the bedroom of the victim before calling the police.
According to the police, the family hails from Kolkata, and Hasi Som was living in the West Bengal capital alone until March 2022, when Surjit Som brought her to Delhi. He rented a flat for her in front of his own. The family had been living with her at Swastik Residency in Neb Sarai since 2014.
Surjit Som’s daughter revealed that her mother and grandmother did not have a cordial relationship, which Surjit Som confirmed. The police suspect that the accused might have grown frustrated with taking care of the elderly person and helping her with their daily routine, but they could not find an immediate trigger for the incident.
The post-mortem report revealed that there were 14 injuries all over the victim’s body. Based on the content of the inquiry, Surjeet’s testimony, CCTV footage, and the post-mortem report, a case under IPC section 302 has been registered, and Sarmishta Som has been arrested.
