New Delhi: Residents of east Delhi’s Trilokpuri were in shock on Monday, struggling to come to terms with two diametrically opposite images of their neighbour, 32-year-old Sumit Kumar. One is of a jovial and deeply religious person who used to spend his evenings playing volleyball and cricket with local children; the other is at the centre of an alleged murder-suicide plot that unfolded in Noida two days ago.Sumit and Rekha (28) were found dead with gunshot wounds inside his locked car in Noida’s Sector 107 on Saturday. He probably shot her before turning the gun on himself, police said.
The cops are studying a message purportedly typed by Sumit on his phone that though the two had been in a relationship for 15 years, Rekha recently decided to marry elsewhere, which prompted him to take the extreme step. However, Sumit’s family members claimed on Monday that they were not aware of any friction between them. However, they said Sumit had been visibly distressed over the past two months and alleged foul play behind the twin deaths.TOI visited Sumit’s Trilokpuri home, where he lived with his parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. Sumit, who used to run a mineral water business, had reportedly played state-level cricket before a road accident forced him to pause. “He took care of everyone. We wouldn’t worry when he was around,” said his cousin, Amit.The Kumars can’t comprehend how he accessed a firearm. “We never saw him in bad company,” said his uncle, Surender Kumar.Sumit would regularly drive to Noida to pick Rekha up from work and drop her home, a routine he was to follow last Friday when he left home at 5 pm.Sumit had been supporting Rekha financially over the years, his relatives claimed. “He recently bought a car and a house, where the couple was expected to stay after marriage,” said Rajpal, a family friend. However, plans of their wedding had been delayed as Rekha’s family wanted to marry off her elder sister first, the Kumars said.
