Confrontation with dad triggered triple murder in Delhi

Police recovered the murder weapon — an army knife belonging to his father — and the blood-stained clothes

A day after the arrest of a 20-year-old man for the chilling murders of his father, mother, and sister at their Neb Sarai home, police revealed that the accused, Arjun Tanwar, had planned the killings following a heated confrontation in which his father rebuked him and struck him in front of guests at his sister’s birthday party.

Arjun Tanwar.

Police recovered the murder weapon — an army knife belonging to his father — and the blood-stained clothes Arjun wore during the crime. He had stashed them in Sanjay Van, where he went on a “walk” to create an alibi after the killings.

In a series of shocking murders on Wednesday, Arjun moved from room to room, methodically slitting the throats of his family members at around 5am. Arjun then staged a scene, pretending to have gone for a morning walk and returning to “discover” the bodies. At 6.53am, he called the police, claiming his family had been murdered.

After inconsistencies in his statements and visible injuries on his hands raised suspicion, Arjun broke down during interrogation and confessed. Investigators said they found that he had planned the murders after his sister’s birthday party on Sunday.

The victims were his father, retired Army Naik Subedar Rajesh Tanwar, 51, his mother Komal Tanwar, 46, and his sister Kavita Tanwar, 23. They were all found with their throats slit in their bed. The couple were killed on the date of their 27th wedding anniversary.

Police said the murders stemmed from deep-seated resentment towards his sister and his father’s decision to transfer the family property to her.

“During interrogation, Arjun kept blaming his father for creating animosity within the family. He said he was tired of being compared to his sister and felt overshadowed by her achievements,” a senior police officer aware of the investigation said on Thursday.

Kavita, a graduate preparing for the UPSC exams, was also a black belt in karate and worked part-time at a firm.

The confrontation at Kavita’s birthday party on December 1 marked a turning point, Arjun told police. “Arjun claimed his father humiliated and beat him in front of everyone for no reason. He said it was the final straw… He said he was tired of being constantly compared to his sister and belittled by his father,” the officer cited above said.

Arjun, a second-year student at Delhi University’s Motilal Nehru College, was admitted under the sports quota and had shown promise as a boxer. In October 2023, he won a silver medal in the Delhi State Olympics boxing championship.

However, he had recently withdrawn from training and college activities, with coaches and teachers noting a marked change in his behaviour.

His coaches and teachers expressed disbelief, recalling his father’s unwavering support for his boxing aspirations.

“After his win last year, he was awarded ₹9,000 by the college. His father was his biggest supporter, enrolling him in a boxing academy earlier this year,” said an official at the college.

“But over the past month or so, he had stopped attending classes, boxing sessions, or talking about his family.”

Crucial evidence recovered

The police said that the murder weapon and Arjun’s blood-stained clothes, both of which were recovered from Sanjay Van on Thursday, were crucial pieces of evidence.

“He placed the items in a gym bag and discarded them in Sanjay Van after the murders. Blood traces on the house’s interlock also pointed to him, as the splatter pattern didn’t match his narrative of an outsider entering the house,” said deputy commissioner of police (south) Ankit Chauhan.

Chauhan added that Arjun deliberately chose his parents’ wedding anniversary for the murders, likely to deflect suspicion. His erratic behaviour and withdrawal from his routine activities had been evident for weeks leading up to the crime.

The officers cited above said the blood-stained clothes and weapon had been sent for forensic analysis at Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), and further investigation in the case is underway.