Faridabad: Man killed by son, wife

A 20-year-old college student and his 39-year-old mother allegedly murdered his father in their upscale Faridabad apartment last month, bludgeoning him with a pressure cooker after a late-night dispute, before wrapping the body in layers of sheets and dumping it in a drain in Surajkund, police said on Friday

A 20-year-old college student and his 39-year-old mother allegedly murdered his father in their upscale Faridabad apartment last month, bludgeoning him with a pressure cooker after a late-night dispute, before wrapping the body in layers of sheets and dumping it in a drain in Surajkund, police said on Friday.

The accused and the victim. (HT photo)

The deceased, identified as Harbir Malik, 47, was a property dealer and financier. He had been living with his wife Sangeeta Malik and son Sahil Malik for the past year and a half in Terra Lavinium, Sector 75, after almost a decade of separation from them. Sahil, investigators privy with the case said, is a third-year BBA student at DAV Centenary College, NIT Faridabad.

According to investigators, the incident occurred on the night of July 11, after Sahil returned home late. His father, angry over his behaviour, refused to open the main gate despite repeated calls.

“Sangeeta was at her sister’s flat in the same building. When she came down, Sahil managed to enter the flat through a slider window of the kitchen after climbing down from a balcony above and let his mother in,” said Arvind Kumar, station house officer of BPTP police station, where the case was filed.

Once inside, a heated argument broke out. Sahil allegedly struck Harbir at least three times on the head with a pressure cooker, killing him instantly. Blood spattered across the flat.

Police said that Sangeeta, who works as a housekeeping supervisor at the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital, then took charge. With knowledge of handling bodies and cleaning processes, she instructed her son to purchase plastic sheets. The duo wrapped the body in several layers of plastic, four bedsheets, and finally a quilt, before storing it inside a bed.

The next night, Sahil borrowed a car from a friend, pretending the family was shifting homes. Together, he and his mother loaded the body and dumped it in a drain in Surajkund.

To erase evidence, Sangeeta meticulously cleaned the flat using chemical agents. Police said she even booked an app-based deep-cleaning service to sanitise floors, walls, sofas, and other items to ensure no trace of blood remained.

Investigators revealed that the mother-son duo switched off Harbir’s phone and moved to his parents’ home in Ajronda, Sector 15A. They claimed to family members that Harbir had “gone abroad” for a few months.

But relatives grew suspicious when they failed to contact him for days. Their doubts deepened after finding his belongings missing from the flat. On July 28, Sangeeta and Sahil suddenly left the in-laws’ residence, further alarming the family. They lodged a missing person’s complaint on August 1, prompting the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under ACP (Central) Rajiv Kumar.

Meanwhile, police said, the duo embarked on trips to Nepal, Almora, Haridwar, and other Uttarakhand towns, staying in hotels and sightseeing using cash that Harbir had kept at home. “They had no idea we were tracking them. Suspicion also grew because Sangeeta’s sister Jyoti suddenly vacated her flat after Harbir went missing, while call records showed he had not left Faridabad,” ACP Kumar said.

Investigators eventually tracked Sahil’s movements to Sector 3, Ballabgarh, where he was arrested on Wednesday night. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime. On his indication, police recovered Harbir’s body from the Surajkund drain. Sangeeta was arrested the following morning.

Police said forensic experts are examining the apartment to trace bloodstains or other evidence, but so far no significant recovery has been made, likely due to the extensive cleaning.

“They stored the body for an entire day inside the flat before disposal. The role of others, including relatives, is also being investigated,” ACP Kumar added.

The crime, officials said, was both brutal and calculated. “The mother’s professional experience in hospital housekeeping gave her the expertise to pack the body and eliminate blood traces. The son’s impulsive act was followed by a well-planned cover-up,” a crime branch officer said.