Kitty Kumaramangalam, Supreme Court lawyer and the wife of former Union minister P Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, was found murdered at her home in southwest Delhi's Vasant Vihar on Tuesday night, police said. She was 67 years old.

The police said they suspect attempted robbery to be the motive behind the killing and have apprehended a 24-year-old washerman of the area, identified as Raju, in connection with the case. Based on preliminary investigation, it is suspected that the washerman had come to the house around 9 pm on Tuesday night, and when the domestic worker opened the door, he allegedly overpowered her, dragged her to a room and restrained her, police said.

Two other people entered the house in the meantime and smothered the victim with a pillow, the police said. According to the police, some briefcases were found opened at the scene of the crime, while the accused decamped with cash and jewellery.  The domestic worker later managed to untie herself and raised an alarm, police said. Police said that teams have been formed and the search is on for the other two accused. 

Kitty Kumaramangalam was a Supreme Court lawyer and her husband Rangarajan Kumaramangalam has served as Union Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs and Law, Justice and Company Affairs between 1991 and 1992, Parliamentary Affairs Minister between 1992 and 1993, and as the country's Power Minister in 1998. He was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1984. He was with the Congress party before joining the BJP. Rangarajan Kumaramangalam was the grandson of former Chief Minister of Madras P Subbarayan and nephew of former Indian Chief of Army General PP Kumaramangalam.

Kitty’s son Mohan Kumaramangalam, a Congress leader, is on his way to Delhi from Bengaluru, reported NDTV. Mohan Kumaramangalam is the working president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.

(With PTI inputs)