Fashion designer, domestic help killed in Vasant Kunj Enclave, three arrested
New Delhi, Nov 15 : A fashion designer and her domestic help were allegedly killed by her tailor and his two accomplices in her home in south Delhi's 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 house help, 50-year-old Bahadur, were found with multiple stab injuries in the bungalow in the early hours of Thursday.
The accused looted jewellery and ransacked the house after killing the two Wednesday night, police said, estimating that the incident took place between 10 pm and 11.30 pm
Rahul Anwar (24), the master tailor who worked with Lakhani, his cousin Rahmat (24) and his friend Wasim (25) have been arrested in connection with the killings, a senior police officer said.
Around 2.45 am, the three men went to the Vasant Kunj (south) police station and said they have killed two people in Vasant Kunj Enclave, following which officials rushed to the spot to verify the details.
They found the bodies lying in a pool of blood.
A case has been registered and the three accused arrested, 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. After committing the crime, they said they stole valuable items, including jewellery, from the house and left in Lakhani's car.
Anwar told police he had been working with Lakhani for a while. His payments were due for the last few months and he had received money in instalments, police said.
The crime scene has been preserved and the bodies sent for a post-mortem examination, police said, adding that further investigations are in progress.
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Virudhunagar firecracker unit blast: Toll climbs to 25, Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia announced
Virudhunagar (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): With most bodies charred beyond recognition, identification remains difficult, police said on Monday, as the toll in the massive explosion at a fireworks unit near Kattanarpatti here rose to 25.
The Virudhunagar district administration has announced Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia to the kin of deceased.
The accident is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the region in recent years.
"Bodies were so badly charred that we were able to identify mostly with jewellery that the victims were wearing," a police official told PTI.
He said that the families have not yet claimed the bodies due to the uncertainly in the identities.
The factory owner is absconding, he added.
The accident occurred at the Vanaja firecracker unit, owned by one Muthumanickam, which functions under the Vachakarapatti police station limits.
The unit is reportedly licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), Nagpur.
Post-mortem reports have established that the 25 victims, include 22 women and three men, the police official added.
Eight workers, mostly women, are critically injured with 60 per cent burn injuries. Twelve others, including eight policemen, were injured in a second blast on Sunday evening while rescue operations were underway.
Rescue operations were severely hampered for hours, as unexploded materials continued to detonate.
A second blast at 7.20 pm, triggered as an earthmover was clearing debris, caused chaos and injured several responders, including a revenue official.
Meanwhile, sources said about 1,000 people, including the families of the victims and residents of nearby villages, are threatening a road roko, demanding the arrest of the owner of the factory.
Local eyewitnesses, including Ranganathan from the nearby Seervaikarampatti village, described hearing a massive blast that sent "thick black smoke" into the sky.
"Nothing was recognisable. We saw bodies being loaded four at a time into vehicles," he told PTI Videos.
Many of the deceased were from Seervaikarampatti village, with residents claiming that at least 20 victims belonged to their village.
Among those killed was 46-year-old Indrani, a veteran worker of 25 years.
"My mother was the sole breadwinner. My father is disabled and stays home. I have an MSc degree, but I’m working at a petrol bunk to help out, and we haven't even paid my brother's school fees yet," said Madhubala, Indrani’s daughter, while pleading for government employment assistance.
Virudhunagar Collector N O Sukhaputra confirmed that the unit was operating without permission on a rest day.
Preliminary findings suggest the blast originated in a chemical mixing shed, where nearly 40 workers were busy making crackers, a violation of safety norms that typically limit occupancy to four workers per shed.
"Had these workers followed primary safety norms, the casualties could have been minimal," a senior official stated.
Chief Minister M K Stalin has ordered a high-level probe and directed ministers to oversee relief efforts.
The tragedy follows a similar accident in Vembakottai just days earlier, which claimed four lives, intensifying calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations in the district’s firecracker hub.
The explosion occurred at approximately 3.15 pm on Sunday. Although the fireworks industry is officially shut on Sundays, over 100 workers were reportedly engaged in production.
Later in the day, Sukhaputra said Rs 5.5 lakh ex gratia each has been finalised for the families of 25 persons killed in the explosion.
Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the ex gratia cheques are ready for immediate distribution to the legal heirs.
"Out of 25 deaths, we have finished conducting post-mortems on 22 bodies. Already we have cheques (that) are ready,” Sukhaputra said.
The announcement followed intense demands from grieving relatives for financial security and government employment.
