New Delhi, Jun 12 (IANS): Three persons have been apprehended by the police in connection with a dacoity-cum-murder case that took place at the house of an elderly couple in the Jafrabad area of north-east Delhi.

The tenant of the victims was involved in the incident, having taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh and orchestrating the robbery of the landlord's house, resulting in the death of the landlady.

According to a senior police officer, on June 8, a call was received reporting a dacoity by four to five armed assailants in Ambedkar Basti, Jafrabad.

A police team was dispatched to the scene, where they discovered that the victims -- Abbas (70), his wife Shamim, and their tenant Zahid (22) -- had been rushed to a nearby hospital by their neighbours.

Upon investigation, the police found that the entire house had been ransacked. Another police team was sent to the hospital, where the doctors told them that Shamim had been declared dead on arrival.

The police recorded the statement of her husband, Abbas, who explained that four to five individuals had forcibly entered their home. Before they could react, the armed assailants attacked them, tied their hands, gagged them, and proceeded with the dacoity.

Based on this statement, the police filed an FIR and formed a team to apprehend the culprits. The team analysed CCTV footage from the area and questioned some individuals previously involved in similar crimes using the same modus operandi.

Finally, a tip-off led to the arrest of the suspects during a raid. Zahid, his friend Nazim, and Soheb were extensively questioned.

Nazim eventually confessed that Zahid was the deceased's nephew.

Zahid, along with his mother and brothers, had been residing on the first floor of the same house as tenants while running a belt assembling unit.

"Approximately three years ago, Zahid borrowed around Rs 10 lakh from the deceased to start his business but failed to repay the loan. The deceased had been persistently pressuring him to return the money. Frustrated with her constant nagging, Zahid devised a plan to rob the deceased. He shared his plan with his friend Nazim, who brought in other accomplices to carry out the attack," the police officer said.

CCTV footage revealed that four individuals entered the house, with Zahid playing a role in keeping the gate open. After the robbers left, Zahid feigned unconsciousness, pretending to have sustained an injury during the robbery.