The woman arrested for the murder of an elderly Calcuttan had allegedly brought a kitchen knife to threaten her former employer and killed her during a confrontation when the latter refused to pay ₹20,000 she was demanding, police said on Tuesday.
The preliminary post-mortem report of Anita Ghosh, 64, who was killed at her third-floor apartment on Behala’s Becharam Chatterjee Road on Monday, revealed that she died from two deep cut wounds.
“A deep cut on her throat and another on her abdomen caused her death. There was also a puncture in her liver, which led to a lot of blood loss,” said an officer of the homicide wing.
Sanju Sarkar, 34, a former caregiver who had worked briefly at the Ghosh household around two years ago, has been arrested in connection with the murder. According to the police, Sarkar demanded ₹20,000 from Ghosh and attacked her when the elderly woman refused to comply.
“She had brought a knife, which she eventually used to attack Ghosh. The knife and some cash have been seized from Sarkar’s bag,” said Rahul De, deputy commissioner of police (south west), Kolkata Police.
Sources said Sarkar had earlier been arrested in connection with an alleged theft at her previous employer’s house in Haridevpur two years ago. Investigators have also found that Sarkar, a mother of one, was allegedly in the habit of stealing small items from homes where she worked.
Investigators are now trying to ascertain whether Sarkar had contacted Ghosh earlier or arrived at the house unannounced. “There is no one who can verify this. We are analysing the call detail records of both the deceased and the accused, who has been remanded in police custody,” said an officer.
The only witness to the incident was Ghosh’s husband, who is in his 70s and is physically challenged. He is unable to move on his own or speak, the police said. He was in another room at the time of the murder, but investigators have not been able to record his statement due to his physical condition.
The couple’s only son lives with his family in an apartment located a short distance from his parents’ residence.
Hundreds of elderly people live alone in the city with their children outside because of work. “It is extremely important to maintain records of people employed in households with elderly members and to submit their details at the local police station. This could act as a deterrent against those who may plan to commit crimes,” an officer said.