Rati and Mehak Khan lived as room mates on the second floor at the back of house no. BB-6, Masjid Moth Enclave. Mehak has been living there for around six months. She said that around four months back she put in an advertisement for a room mate, as the nearly Rs 4,000 she was paying as rent was too much. That's when she and Rati started living together.

Rati was doing her B.A. in history through correspondence at the Delhi University. Mehak left the house today at around 8.30 p.m. She is studying at the YMCA and left for her Business Law examination.

Mehak reached home at around 2.30 p.m. to find the tiny room in a state of chaos. Clothes, shoes, books and bags had been thrown all over the bed and floor. ``Everything was scattered all around. I thought maybe Rati had done it, as she had recently been saying that she wanted to move somewhere else. I started calling out to her, asking how she could leave the room in such a mess. There was no response.''

Mehak next discovered the body. ``I was walking around the room when I saw feet sticking out from under the bed. It was Rati. I shook her but there was no response. I started screaming and ran out of the room, and called the only friend of hers that I knew: Abbas.''

Abbas Ali runs a leather store at the Ashoka Hotel and is apparently a close friend of Rati's. He sat on the dark spiral staircase outside Rati's room, cellular phone in one hand, head in the other. ``I have known her for around 2 years. She used to work for me at my shop. She said she was from Delhi, but needed a place to stay as her father was dead, mother in Rome and brother in an orphanage in Daryaganj. She used to stay somewhere else in GK-II and then we found this place. I rushed here as soon as I heard.''If Mehak is to be believed then Abbas took his own time getting to Rati's house. ``Abbas is the only friend of her's that I knew. I called him at least 4-5 times at home. I was hysterical because I didn't know what to do. I kept shouting into the phone saying there was something wrong and that he should rush here. He said that he was coming, but it would take him20 mins. I kept calling again and again saying I didn't know whether Rati was dead or alive. He said he would come soon. I finally dialled 100.'' Rati had been smothered to death. There were no other external injuries on her, except for a small spot of blood on her chest. According to a senior police official, ``She was smothered and only after that were her hands and legs tied. From her clothes it doesn't appear that she was molested. We will get a clearer picture after the post-mortem report.''

A senior official also said that the room had been ransacked to give the appearance of a robbery, but the only item missing was a small music system. Policemen proceeded to take out brand new sequined salwar kameezes and ghagra cholis (Mehak said they cost around Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 each), new leather bags, fancy shoes and tiny packets of jewelry. An official said, ``It is definitely not a robbery. Even if these jewels are costume, their value must be at least Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 per set. None of her things was touched or taken. There is a personal motive.''

Given the fact that Mehak and Rati shared the same, tiny room for four months, the former didn't know anything about her room mate. ``She was very good to me. In fact even this morning she made me tea. She told me her family was in Delhi. We got along well and she kept the room clean. She would often even wash my clothes. I didn't know anything else about her.''

Landlady Sushil Gandhi said, ``We never interfered in their ives. My husband, his four brothers and our families live here, but no one heard or saw anything. There is a separate entrance and anyone can come and leave without being seen.'' Apparently Rati did have a visitor today. According to the police, a youth smoking Classic cigarettes, well dressed, was seen walking up and down the stairs at least 3-4 times.