Designer, housekeeper killed over unpaid dues

New Delhi: A fashion designer and her housekeeper were allegedly killed by her tailor and his two accomplices in her home in south Delhi's upmarket, Vasant Kunj Enclave locality following a dispute over unpaid dues, police said on Thursday. 

The bodies of 53-year-old Maya Lakhani, who ran a boutique called Tulsi Creations in Green Park, and her housekeeper, 50-year-old Bahadur, a Nepalese national, were found with multiple knife injuries in the bungalow early on Thursday. The accused ransacked the house and took away jewellery after killing the two, police said, estimating that the incident took place between 10 pm and 11.30 pm on Wednesday. 

Rahul Anwar (24), the master tailor who worked with Lakhani, his cousin Rahmat (24) and his friend Wasim (25) were taken into custody upon their surrender.  
Around 2.45 am, the three men went to the Vasant Kunj (south) Police Station and said they had killed two people at Vasant Kunj Enclave, following which officials rushed to the spot to verify the details. They found the bodies in a pool of blood. A case has been registered, Devender Arya, deputy commissioner of police (southwest), said. 

Police said Lakhani had set up a tailoring workshop in her home. During interrogation, the three said they had hatched a conspiracy to kill her. Anwar claimed Lakhani had not paid him for a couple of months and would pay in piecemeal. He was annoyed and hatched a plan, 10 days ago to kill her, a senior police officer said. Anwar had been working under Lakhani nearly for three years, he said. 

After committing the crime, the accused said, they stole valuable items, jewellery, from the house and left in Lakhani's car, according to the police officer. Police said the accused had bought four knives from a weekly bazar in Vasant Kunj. 

After committing the crime, the accused went to a pond behind Rangpuri Pahari area in Vasant Kunj to discreetly dispose of the knives and their clothes that had blood stains. Later, in order to avoid trouble for their families, they surrendered, the senior officer said. 

Police said Lakhani was single and had been living in Vasant Kunj for several years. Her sister lives in Gurgaon and her brother in Goa.