Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested 23-year-old Nikhil Kumar for allegedly murdering his former live-in partner, Sonal Arya, and her friend’s six-month-old daughter in a gruesome attack in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila on Tuesday. Authorities caught Nikhil in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, less than 24 hours after the crime.
Police investigators reported that Nikhil killed the couple in a fit of revenge. Nikhil thought that Sonal had aborted his unborn child at the hands of another man, Durgesh Kumar, who was the husband of Arya’s friend, Rashmi Devi.
“Nikhil thought that she had done that with the assistance of Durgesh. Thus, he purchased a surgical blade from Durgesh’s mobile repair shop on Tuesday and murdered the two. He murdered Durgesh’s daughter since he thought Arya had aborted their child in association with Durgesh,” stated Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia.
Nikhil Believed Sonal’s Friend Influenced Her in Delhi
According to the Delhi police, Nikhil was a food delivery agent. He was in a relationship with 22-year-old Arya since 2023, police said. Sonal had been living with Rashmi Devi and Durgesh Kumar for the last few weeks after leaving Nikhil’s residence in January, reportedly to avoid physical abuse.
“Recently, she became pregnant and opted to abort the fetus,” an officer stated. “Nikhil suspected that Durgesh had motivated her.”
Police further stated that Nikhil had already gone to Durgesh’s house and office and questioned him regarding Arya’s stay. Investigators also made a shocking revelation that Arya and Nikhil had previously sold their child. The child was born out of wedlock in Uttarakhand.
“It has come to light that she became pregnant and gave birth to a child in 2024, and sold the child in Uttarakhand. They started living here together in Wazirabad afterwards,” DCP Banthia added.
Family Speaks Out: ‘He Acted Like a Maniac’
At the Sabzi Mandi mortuary in Delhi on Wednesday, Arya’s family members revealed that she was repeatedly subjected to abuse by Nikhil. They said she finally cut ties with him in January.
“She began living with Nikhil and his family — father, brother, and sister — around two years ago. He was madly in love with her. He would yell at her and beat her up over the slightest thing. He would not even allow her to break up and leave if she wanted to. But in January, she did leave,” said her sister Hema Arya.
Their mother, Asha Arya, told, “He would also call and abuse us. He would say to our daughter that I didn’t want them to be with each other. He would behave like a madman. When my daughter visited Nainital last year, he called her so many times and wouldn’t allow her to stay with us. He even came to Nainital.”
Previous Police Complaint Ignored
Arya had filed a police complaint against Nikhil on June 24 at the Civil Lines police station after he started sharing her photos on social media. Police called Nikhil and instructed him to delete the images and return her belongings. From the police station, Arya moved to Rashmi Devi’s home, where she had been staying since.
“She was frightened,” Hema said, remembering a recent video call from Arya in which she had bolted herself inside to keep away from Nikhil. “He was yelling outside.”
Durgesh verified that Nikhil came to his shop and interrogated him regarding Arya. Rashmi Devi, shattered, waited silently at the mortuary for her infant’s remains.
