Anita Arora, 36, was found murdered in the bedroom of her house. The room had been ransacked and a number of valuables missing. Rakesh, the domestic help, was found locked inside a store in the rear of the house.

The police reportedly suspected the servant. While Anita had been brutally assaulted, Rakesh had received minor injuries. The servant had told the police that two men had come to the house posing as telephone repairmen. He said that he had been attacked first with an iron rod and Anita killed after that. They looted the house and locked him in the store. The servant also said that Anita had booked a phone complaint the previous day.

During the investigation, the police found discrepancies in Rakesh's statement. Records showed that Anita had not registered any phone complaints. Under interrogation, Rakesh confessed to the crime.

Police said that on May 15, Anil Arora, Anita's husband, left for his Nai Sarak shop in the morning at about 9.30. The couple's children were away to Vaishnodevi. At around 12 p.m. when Anita was in her bedroom, Rakesh reportedly hit her on the head with an iron rod. He then ransacked the house and hid whatever he stole with some junk lying under a staircase. He then removed the latch inside the bedroom and reportedly hit himself on the head and then locked himself in the store.

He waited in the store till the evening and then reportedly stuffed his mouth with a piece of cloth, tied his legs with wire and feigned unconsciousness. Rakesh pointed out all the locations in the house where he had stashed away the loot. The murder weapon has also been recovered.

Rakesh, from Navada district in Bihar, had been living in Delhi for the last four-and-a-half years. He had earlier worked as domestic help at the house of the sister of Anil Arora (the victim's husband). Arora said as far as the modus operandi was concerned, Rakesh could have been influenced by TV. ``He used to watch one programme with us. The serial depicted how crimes were committed., and how criminals operated to overcome obstacles.'' He alleges this could have helped him plan the crime.