Cops suspect 75-year-old was raped before murder?

A 75-year-old woman, the mother-in-law of Punjab's acting Advocate General Rupinder Khosla, was found murdered in her bungalow in a busy residential area here Thursday

Cops suspect 75-year-old was raped before murder?

A 75-year-old woman, the mother-in-law of Punjab's acting Advocate General Rupinder Khosla, was found murdered in her bungalow in a busy residential area here Thursday. Police said the woman may have been sexually assaulted as well.

According to the police, the deceased was identified as Gurbaz Maninder Mann, who lived alone in Sector 21 here.

Police said they suspected that the victim had been sexually assaulted. Some of her garments had been removed.

The family came to know about the murder when Mann did not answer telephone calls for the last two days.

"Mann's grandchildren had come to meet her today. When she did not open the door after repeated knocking, they broke the door to gain entry and found her body," a police officer said here.

"We had called forensic experts and they have collected some vital clues. Right now, it is difficult to tell when this murder was committed. The exact picture would be clear only after the post mortem," he added.

Police said that it could be a handiwork of some drug addict.

One of Mann's daughters, Mohanmeet Khosla, is the chairperson of the School of Communication Studies at Panjab University here.

Many high-profile lawyers and VIPs, including Chandigarh's Senior Superintendent of Police Naunihal Singh, visited the spot.

"Our investigation is on. We will solve this case very soon," Singh told reporters.

Mann's family said that she was of a reserved nature and rarely talked to her neighbours.

"She was very old and did not come out of her house very often. She was of a reserved nature," one of her family members said.