Delhi showroom murder: CCTV shows victim's final struggle with 'ex-friend'

The accused is then seen dragging her by her hair into the trial room, where he allegedly slits her throat.NEW DELHI: A CCTV footage from a clothing showroom in West Delhi's Moti Nagar has captured the final moments of an 18-year-old girl, showing her desperately trying to escape as a man allegedly assaults her before dragging her into a trial room and killing her.The footage reportedly shows the accused, identified as 29-year-old Suraj, repeatedly attacking Shabnam as she screams and attempts to flee. At one point, she sits down and tries to shield herself from the blows, but the man continues assaulting her.He is then seen dragging her by her hair into the trial room, where he allegedly slits her throat.Police arrested Suraj on Sunday and are questioning him to establish the exact motive behind Saturday's murder, including a suspected fallout following a romantic relationship, a police officer said.Shabnam worked at the showroom near Moti Nagar Metro Station. Her body was found inside the trial room by the staff later that evening, police said.According to the preliminary investigation, Shabnam and Suraj were on friendly terms, but their relationship had reportedly turned sour over the past few months. Police are also investigating allegations by the victim's family that the accused had assaulted her earlier.According to accounts shared by people familiar with the incident, Shabnam was seen using her mobile phone at the showroom around 6.45 pm on Saturday.Around 7.30pm, her employer could not locate her and contacted a woman who was Shabnam's former employer, informing her about the assault. The woman then reached the showroom.Some people examined the CCTV footage and noticed that the man had left the premises, but Shabnam had not."Suspecting that she could still be inside, they returned to the showroom around 8.30pm and began searching the premises. During the search, they noticed her scarf lying near the trial room. They also spotted blood seeping out from underneath the door," the officer said.Her body was found around 9pm, following which the police were called.A police team that reached the spot found injury marks on her neck caused by a sharp-edged weapon, along with a blood-stained knife near her body. The body was sent to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for a post-mortem.Police examined CCTV footage from inside the showroom and nearby areas to piece together the sequence of events, establish the accused's movements and trace his escape route.(With inputs from PTI)