New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) A woman and a six-month-old toddler were found with their throats slit allegedly by her live-in partner in north Delhi's Majnu Ka Tila area on Tuesday afternoon, an official said.

A PCR call was received at 1.01 pm on Tuesday from a caller who claimed that her daughter and her friend had been murdered in her home, he added.

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The victim, believed to be between 22 and 23 years old and originally from Uttarakhand, had been staying with a friend two blocks away from her previous residence, where she lived with her former partner, Nikhil.

Nikhil, a restaurant worker in Timarpur, and the woman, who was unemployed, had been in a relationship for five to six years and lived together until she recently moved out to stay with her friend, a senior police office said.

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"The woman experienced several issues and frequent arguments with Nikhil, leading her to leave and stay with the caller's family," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said.

At the time of the incident, the mother was out with her husband, who runs a mobile shop, picking up her 5-year-old daughter from school.

On Tuesday afternoon, Nikhil came to the house and allegedly killed both the woman and the toddler by slitting their throats with a knife, the DCP said.

According to police sources, Nikhil allegedly killed the woman first out of anger for leaving him and then murdered the toddler as revenge against the mother for providing his former partner a place to stay away from him.

A few days prior to the incident, Nikhil had an argument with the victim's friend, which left him distressed, the source added.

Nikhil allegedly left his phone back in the house to avoid detection, the source stated, adding that he cleaned the knife used in the crime before taking it with him.

A team from the Civil Lines Police Station reached the scene and found both victims lying in a pool of blood inside a room, the officer said.

Nikhil is still at large, and police suspect he may be fleeing to his home in Uttarakhand to evade arrest. Multiple teams have been formed to locate him.

Meera, the landlady of the toddler's mother, who lives in the same building as the crime scene, mentioned that Nikhil had approached the building around 12.30 pm, claiming he was there to collect something for the child's father.

Sharing details about Nikhil's activities before the murder, she added, "He went upstairs, telling me that Durgesh (the toddler's father) had asked him to bring something. This is something he has done before. I didn't enquire further since he used Durgesh's name. He was inside the house for around 20 to 25 minutes."

Asserting that she did not hear any noise, Meera said, "If there had been any commotion, I would have gone upstairs. We only heard Laxmi scream after discovering the bodies."

Recalling the scene of the crime, Meera further stated, "I saw the bodies lying on the bed with their throats slit. The family was nice and they lived very peacefully without creating any disturbance," the landlady shared.

She noted that Laxmi, the toddler's mother, had claimed that the victim was her sister, which is why she allowed her to stay in her house without verification or paperwork.

"The family has been residing in the building for the last two months, and they have been in this locality for six years," Meera said.

The crime left the neighbourhood shaken, with locals expressing their anger and disgust at the murders.

"How can anyone slit the throat of a six-month-old baby? What kind of monster is he?" a resident said, further questioning, "He could have left, but why kill the baby?"

Many wept, especially the women who had seen the young mother often play with her child near the house.

"They were so happy when the baby was born. I remember the family distributing sweets and their smiling faces when their daughter arrived. Now, all of that joy has vanished, and something unimaginable has happened," a neighbour lamented.

The bodies were recovered and sent for postmortem examination. Additionally, forensic experts were called to examine the crime scene, the officer stated.

A case under Section 103 (1) (Murder) was registered at the Civil Lines Police Station, and an investigation was launched.

Police are examining CCTV footage and trying to ascertain the motive of the crime. They are also probing where the accused procured the weapon used in the crime.

(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)