An elderly couple were allegedly murdered and their bodies were today recovered from their apartment at Paikpara in the northern part of the city, police said.
Septuagenarian Prangovinda Das and his wife Renuka Das, both retired professors, were initially hit on the head with a blunt instrument. The woman's throat was found slit, a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said.
Police suspect that their maid, Bappa, could be involved in the murder.
Prangovinda's body was recovered from the floor while Renuka's body was found on the bed, police said.
A blood-stained knife was found on the dining table but no blunt weapon was found inside the flat, the officer said, adding that an almirah in the living room was broken and household materials were scattered all over the place.
The incident came to the notice this morning when a nurse, who has been visiting the family for quite sometime, found the door of the flat locked from outside.
"Going by the initial observation it seems that the couple were murdered last night. Though the motive of the murder is yet not clear, we suspect that it can be a case of loot. And we believe the murderer or the murderers were known to them," the officer said.
The suspect, Bappa, who was last seen leaving Das's flat by the neighbours last night around 9.30 PM, is missing along with his wife from their house in the neighbourhood, the police said, adding that the couple had employed two to three maids.
The couple's daughter, who was working in the US, has been informed about the incident, police said.
