A day after the grim discovery of a woman’s decomposed body stuffed inside a bed box in a Shahdara flat, Delhi Police revealed Saturday that the victim, identified as Anju alias Anjali, lived a solitary life—estranged from her husband in Bihar and out of touch with her parents in Ludhiana, Punjab.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s, was found Friday in a DDA flat in Vivek Vihar, sparking a murder probe that has gripped the city.

Police have apprehended the flat’s owner, Vivekanand Mishra, a man in his late 50s, for questioning. “She was married but living separately from her husband and had no contact with her parents,” a senior officer said, noting her family’s poverty has complicated efforts to confirm her identity.

A team has been dispatched to Ludhiana to bring her parents to Delhi for verification.

The case unfolded after a PCR call at 4:37 PM Friday reported a foul odor from the locked flat. “We found blood traces near the back door and, inside, her body wrapped in a blanket in the bed storage,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam. Red bangles on her wrists suggested she was married.

The murder, estimated to have occurred two to three days prior, came to light after Mishra’s visits to the flat Thursday night and Friday afternoon raised suspicions.

Investigators are working to piece together the motive, with Mishra under intense scrutiny. “We’re verifying statements to understand why this happened,” the senior officer added. Forensic teams have combed the scene, and the probe is ongoing.

Anju’s isolated existence—cut off from family and spouse—adds a haunting layer to a crime that has left Delhi searching for answers as police dig deeper into this chilling enigma.