GURGAON: A 75-year-old retired Delhi govt school teacher was allegedly strangled to death after a 22-year-old man broke into her dilapidated home in New Colony to steal, only to be confronted by her. Police said the accused, allegedly a drug addict, took some items and then demanded Rs 100 from Madhu Sharma.When she refused, he allegedly attacked her before fleeing, leaving her dead on the floor.The incident occurred on Sunday night. A neighbour saw the man – Suraj Gupta (22) – approach Sharma’s house around 8.15pm, stand outside for some time and look around before sneaking in.Soon, screams and cries came from inside. The neighbour rushed home, alerted his father and other residents and called police.He then returned with five to six neighbours. As they approached the house, the man fled and hid among trees behind it, an area difficult to see in the darkness. Inside, residents found Sharma lying dead near the door of a room.Police said Gupta had entered the house intending to steal. After spotting Sharma, he allegedly demanded Rs 100. When she refused, he attacked her and allegedly punched her in the abdomen before fleeing.Following a written complaint, an FIR was registered at New Colony police station on Sunday under Section 103(1) of the BNS for murder. “A police team reached the spot and informed senior officers.Forensics, scene-of-crime and fingerprint teams were called to examine the house and collect evidence,” police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said. Sharma’s body was sent for autopsy.The autopsy, conducted by a board of two doctors after her family arrived, confirmed strangulation as the cause of death. Police said there were no visible injury marks apart from an impression around her neck.Her body was later handed over to relatives and her last rites were performed on Monday.Gupta was arrested on Monday near Laxmi Bazaar Park in Pratap Nagar. Police said he is from Devdha village in Bihar’s Samastipur district and currently lives in Madanpuri in Gurgaon.He works at construction sites, making iron reinforcement structures used in buildings.Sharma had lived alone for years in her parental home after her parents died. Her husband, from whom she had separated, died in 2010. The couple had no children.Her nephew Sahil, who lives in Faridabad, said she had stayed with his family for several days because the Gurgaon house was in poor condition. She returned only last week for bank formalities.“We had no idea about her death and came to know about it after seeing the news reports. It is very sad and shocking,” he added.Neighbours remembered Sharma as humble and polite.
