Police said they received a call about the incident at 1.30 pm from the woman’s neighbours. “We were informed that the body of a woman, Manju Joshi, was found inside her house,” a police officer said.

Officers said they reached the spot— G-92, Nauroji Nagar—and found Manju’s body on the floor with her hands and legs tied with a rope.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, South District, HGS Dhaliwal said, “Manju’s dupatta was around her neck. There were stab injuries on her limbs.”

Dhaliwal added robbery as a murder motive has been ruled out as nothing was missing from the house. “The jewellery the victim was wearing at the time of the incident was intact. It seems that the assailant/s had a friendly entry to the house, as the locking system in the house is quite strong,” he added.

Manju’s husband, Mahinder Joshi, is an employee with the Indian Railways and was away at work when the incident took place. A neighbour said, “When Manju did not open the door for her four-year-old daughter, Taveshi, who returned from school at 1.30 pm, neighbours entered the house and found her body.”

Dhaliwal added that a knife has been recovered from the crime spot with bloodstains on it. “We suspect that an insider might be involved, and have taken fingerprints from the house and will match it with those of relatives and family acquaintances,” the DCP said.