Prateek Tanmay
3 min readNew DelhiMay 29, 2026 12:56 AM IST
Two days after she left preparing tea for two octogenarian sister-in-laws, a domestic help returned to the single-storey house in Central Delhi’s New Rajinder Nagar on Thursday morning to clean the porch as she did every day. But she noticed something unusual: A strong foul smell was emanating from the shut doors of the house. Alarmed, she alerted the neighbours, who informed the police.
When a police team entered the house, they found the two women dead in a room. “One body was found lying on a bed, while the other was on the floor,” DCP (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said.
The untouched tea cups still remained where they had been left.
“The same help had prepared tea for them and served it the day before yesterday,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Central) Madhur Verma said. “The tea cups were still lying there as they were, and no signs of struggle or forced entry were found.”
The deceased were identified as Chandra Kanta and Saroj Bala, both aged around 80. While Saroj Bala was unmarried, Chandra Kanta was her sister-in-law. Both women had reportedly been living together at the house for several years.
The crime team, Forensic Science Laboratory team and CAT ambulance were called to the spot. Both women were declared dead after examination by the CAT ambulance staff.
During inspection, police said they found no signs of forced entry, ransacking or disturbance inside the house, which has four entry points. Neighbours also did not indicate any suspicion of foul play, they added.
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Proceedings under Section 194 (police to enquire and report on suicide) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita have been initiated and both bodies sent to RML Hospital for post-mortem examination, said police.
“The remaining details will become clear only after the postmortem examination reports,” the Joint CP said.
Inside the New Rajinder Nagar locality, not many knew the two women.
“I have seen them a couple of times. Mostly just one of them, standing on the porch. They kept to themselves. The other lady couldn’t move. But I didn’t know their names,” said a resident.
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A cleaner, Sanjay, who has been working in the colony for years, said the last time he saw one of the the women was about 10 days ago. “She boarded an e-rickshaw near her house to go somewhere. They didn’t talk much,” he said.
Police said the women had two domestic helps – one who cleaned the porch and another who cleaned the house. While the one cleaning the house was on leave, the help who cleaned the porch came daily. She was the one who noticed the smell.
“Saroj was a retired employee of DESU, while Chandrakanta used to be a teacher at a school in Punjab. None had any children,” said an officer.
“They have some extended family living in Rajouri Garden and we have informed them about the postmortem proceedings,” the officer added.
