DU professor murder: How accused plotted from Bengal, killed in Delhi and fled

What began as a property dispute in West Bengal ended in a brutal, premeditated murder in Delhi, with investigators confirming on Sunday that 49-year-old Delhi University assistant professor Debosmita Paul was killed inside her East Delhi flat by a family who travelled from Bengal’s Bardhaman to execute the crime and fled within hours, triggering a multi-state investigation that pieced together their movements through CCTV footage, phone tracking and railway records.

The professor was found murdered on June 4 at her flat in Satyam Apartments in East Delhi’s Vasundhara Enclave. Investigators believe the accused entered the flat after confronting her over the property dispute. When she refused to relent, she was allegedly killed.

Police said there were no signs of forced entry or theft, strengthening suspicion of an insider link or prior acquaintance.

CCTV footage has now surfaced showing the three accused, a couple and their minor son, entering the residential building in East Delhi where the murder took place.

Another footage shows the trio exiting a lift, with both the husband and wife wearing masks in what police believe was an attempt to conceal their identities. The accused are then seen walking towards the victim’s flat and later returning to the lift and descending after the crime.

REPEATED EVICTION DEMAND LED TO MURDER

According to police, the accused, identified as Ramprashad Das (42), his wife Banashree Das (36) and their minor son, had been living in the victim’s ancestral property in West Bengal’s Bardhaman since 2023. The property, officials said, had been transferred to the victim through a family settlement.

Investigators said the victim, 49-year-old Debosmita Paul, an assistant professor at Shivaji College, had repeatedly asked the family to vacate the premises, triggering an escalating dispute. After what police describe as a final warning from the professor, the accused allegedly conspired to eliminate her.

DIGITAL TRAIL EXPOSES ACCUSED MOVEMENTS

Extensive CCTV analysis from the housing complex and surrounding areas revealed the accused movement through the building, concealing their faces, changing clothes and using both stairs and lifts to avoid being identified.

After the crime, they allegedly locked the flat from the outside and fled the scene using a taxi and an autorickshaw.

Police said the accused travelled to Delhi on June 3 with a pre-planned intent to carry out the murder. To avoid detection, they allegedly checked into a guest house in Mayur Vihar’s Dallupura using Aadhaar belonging to unrelated individuals.

The breakthrough in the case came after investigators traced these details through guest house records and placed linked mobile numbers under surveillance.

CCTV TRAIL AND ESCAPE ROUTE

After committing the crime, the family reached Anand Vihar before boarding a train from New Delhi Railway Station to Burdwan via the Poorva Express at around 5.40 pm on June 3.

Following technical surveillance and CCTV tracking, a police team reached Burdwan on June 6. The accused were traced after deboarding the train and subsequently located at a hideout. All three were arrested on June 7.

Police said the coordinated investigation, involving CCTV analysis across Delhi and West Bengal, helped reconstruct the entire movement of the accused, from planning in Bengal to execution in Delhi and escape back.

According to the police, the team recovered the deceased's Samsung mobile phone, a razor allegedly used in the crime, clothing and a cap used during the offence, a backpack and train tickets and other travel documents.

A case has been registered under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway to establish the full conspiracy and verify the digital and financial trails of the accused.

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