IIT Scholar, Pushpam Sinha, Arrested for Murdering Neighbour

Pushpam Sinha, a 34-year-old research scholar from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, has been arrested for allegedly killing Ramchanphy a 19-year-old girl from Nagaland and attempting to set her body afire at the posh south Delhi locality of Munirka on Saturday.

Sinha allegedly strangled Ramchanphy, after she spurned his advances at her sister Timila Hongray’s rented accommodation. Hongray lived next door to Sinha.

The accused reportedly went to Hongray’s house on some pretext and attempted to force himself on the teenager but allegedly strangled her after she tried to raise an alarm.

Sinha allegedly dragged the body to the kitchen and used a gas stove to burn Ramchanphy’s face and chest to make her death look like a fire related death.

On her return from work, Hongray discovered her sister’s body in the kitchen and called up the police, though the death prima facie looked like an accident, the autopsy revealed that the victim had been strangled.

The police search soon zeroed in on Sinha, who was found to be changing his statements regarding his whereabouts on Saturday. He was later picked up for questioning and is reported to have confessed to his involvement in the murder during interrogation.

Sinha, a native of Patna, has since been arrested by the Vasant Vihar police.