New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) The wife of a caretaker in a Delhi farmhouse who was lynched on the suspicion of slaughtering cows on Tuesday claimed that locals were spreading rumours about her sick husband while all he did was sell cow milk and ride an e-rickshaw to make ends meet.

Jhaso Devi, sitting on a wooden cot outside the two-storey dilapidated farmhouse with her children, said her husband used to earn Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per month for looking after the farmhouse.

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"My husband was innocent. In fact, he had been sick for over a year owing to liver-related ailment for which he was seeking treatment. He had never indulged in cow slaughtering or any illegal activities," she told PTI.

Rajaram (40) was lynched and six others were injured after a group of 10-15 men, claiming to be 'gau rakshaks', attacked them on suspicion that they were slaughtering cows on Monday, police said.

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Rajaram worked as caretaker at the farmhouse in Dwarka's Chhawla area.

The victim, who belongs to Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, had been living with his wife and four children in the farmhouse owned by a local doctor for last two years.

Asked about what transpired on the fateful day, Jhaso said her husband usually slept outside the house, but on Monday he got a phone call and went outside.

"I do not know what happened to my husband that day. Nor did I see anything since I was asleep. But I do know that he is innocent," she said.

She said her 16-year-old son is the only bread winner of the family.

"My son left his studies after class 9. He had recently started working at another gaushala. Though he is aware about his father's death, his siblings do not know that their father is no more," she said.

Jhaso said her family's future looks bleak.

"I do not know what future lies ahead for our family. If we are asked to vacate the farmhouse by the owner, we would have to shift somewhere else. I will also have to start working to meet the expenses," she said.

A local, who knew the family since the last five years, expressed shock over the turn of events.

"I am shocked by the incident. I do not know of any involvement of Rajaram in such activities. I had given him the e-rickshaw on rent and had come to collect the money," he said.

Arun Kumar Dubey, a local farmer, said, “Everyone is saying that he killed cows. But I have known him for the past two years and he used to sell milk."

Police said two separate cases were filed and five men allegedly involved in cow slaughtering have been arrested in the matter, while efforts are being made to nab the remaining accused.

They added that the body will be handed over to the family after a medical board is set up to conduct the post-mortem examination.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)