Ghaziabad: Police have arrested a couple for allegedly killing their landlord by strangling her with a scarf and hitting her head with a pressure cooker lid, officials said on Friday.

The accused were identified as Ajay Gupta (35) and his wife, Akriti Gupta (33), police said. According to police, the incident occurred around 8 pm on Wednesday when Deepshikha Sharma (48) had gone to the accused’s house in Aura Chimera Society in Rajnagar Extension, to collect five months of pending rent.

A heated argument ensued, during which she allegedly bit Ajay Gupta in self-defence. In retaliation, Akriti strangled her with a scarf, while Ajay struck her on the head with a pressure cooker lid, resulting in her death on the spot, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Nandgram Upasna Pandey said. The accused couple then stuffed her body in a red suitcase and concealed it in the storage box of a double bed, the ACP said.

When Deepshikha did not return home till late night, her domestic help, Minni, went to the tenants’ flat to check on her. Growing suspicious, she searched the flat and discovered the suitcase containing the body.