DU Professor Murder: CCTV Footage Shows Accused Family Before And After Killing

A family from West Bengal accused of killing Delhi University assistant professor Debosmita Paul was captured on CCTV heading towards her east Delhi flat wearing face masks shortly before the murder and leaving the residential complex later after changing clothes, police said.

According to PTI, Delhi Police is examining the footage as part of its investigation into the June 3 killing of Paul, an assistant professor at Shivaji College. Police have apprehended Ramprashad Das, his wife Banashree Das and their 13-year-old son, alleging that they travelled from Burdwan in West Bengal to Delhi and killed Paul over a long-running dispute linked to her ancestral property.

Paul, an assistant professor at Shivaji College, was found dead in her apartment on June 3. Delhi Police has apprehended Ramprashad Das, 42, his wife Banashree Das, 36, and their minor son in connection with the murder.

In one CCTV clip, the family is seen climbing the staircase of the apartment building together and moving towards Paul's flat shortly before the killing, police said. All three are wearing face masks, while Ramprashad Das is carrying a red bag in an apparent attempt to conceal their identities, investigators said.

Another CCTV clip, alleged to have been recorded after the murder, shows the trio exiting a lift inside the residential complex. In that footage, only Ramprashad Das is wearing a mask, while Banashree Das and the minor boy appear without face coverings. Investigators also said the child is seen removing his mask while moving through the premises.

The footage further shows that both Ramprashad Das and Banashree Das had changed their clothes. In the staircase clip, Ramprashad Das is wearing a white shirt, while in the lift footage he appears in a red shirt. Banashree Das is seen in a black-and-white salwar kameez in the first clip and a red salwar kameez in the second.

Police are examining the footage as part of efforts to reconstruct the family's movements before and after the killing, PTI reported.

Investigators said the accused family had been residing in Paul's ancestral property in Burdwan since 2023. The property had been allotted to Paul through a family settlement, and she had repeatedly asked the family to vacate the premises.

According to PTI, Paul had recently issued a final warning to the family to vacate the property. Police allege that the family then conspired to kill her and travelled nearly 1,400 km from Burdwan to Delhi on June 3.

The accused, who were known to Paul, allegedly gained entry into the apartment without resistance and murdered her inside the flat. Police said they carried the murder weapon with them and later took several steps to evade detection.

After the murder, the family allegedly fled in a taxi and later an autorickshaw to Anand Vihar before making their way to New Delhi Railway Station. They then boarded the Poorva Express back to Burdwan.

PTI reported that police tracked the suspects to Burdwan after scrutinising footage of nearly 200 visitors and conducting raids across four states. The trio was apprehended on June 7.

Police have recovered Paul's mobile phone, a razor allegedly used in the crime, clothes, a backpack, a cap and travel-related documents. Further investigation is underway.

(With inputs from PTI)