DNA
 
Mumbai, May 15: A 24-year-old girl, working as software engineer with the Tata Consultancy Software (TCS) checks into a three star hotel in MIDC, Andheri with her boyfriend. They book a honeymoon suite on Saturday night. The next morning the girl is found dead, shot three times in the head and the boyfriend gone missing.

Police are baffled by this intriguing murder mystery where the girl and the boy registered themselves as Mr and Mrs Thakur before checking in room number 209 of Hotel Sun and Sheel. From the identity card on her person, police found that the deceased is one Kausumbi Laiq, a girl who hails from Jharkhand and who had been staying in Sai Shraddha Apartments in Borivali (E).

RB Singh, General Manager, Hotel Sun-N-Sheel, said Kausambi and a man called Manish Thakur checked into their hotel on Saturday. It was booked by a person called Manish Thakur. “The couple had booked a honeymoon suite and was registered in the name of Mr and Mrs Thakur.”

“In the hotel register, Manish Thakur wrote he was a resident of Kolkata. Thakur told us he got married to Kausambi recently. The two were supposed to check out on Monday afternoon. The matter came to light when the room service assistant got no response despite repeated knockings and phone calls. When we opened the door with a spare key, we saw Kausambi lying in a pool of blood. She had bullet injuries on her forehead,” Singh said. The hotel authorities immediately informed the police.

Thakur is a resident of Kolkata and is serving in the Indian Navy. Sniffer dogs were immediately pressed into service. “The dogs traced a sports shoe which we believe must belong to the killer,” a senior police officer said. Thakur was seen for the last time with Kausambi at midnight on Sunday, when the room service assistant delivered dinner, added Singh.

When questioned how no one heard the gun shots, Singh said that may be it was the loud music from a nearby night club. “None of our staffers heard any sound from the room since Monday morning. Additional Commissioner of Police (West region), Bipin Bihari said that, “It is a clear case of murder. We are recording statements of Kausambi’s parents and are also gathering details about Thakur. We are also trying to verify if they were indeed married.”