Virender had been employed by the Puris a month ago and had not undergone police verification. Ramesh Dutt, a paralytic, and his wife were asleep in their ground floor bedroom when they were stabbed several times in the neck, chest and stomach. The alleged assailant, Virender, who hails from Orissa, fled after killing the couple.

The police said that the immediate motive behind the crime seems to be robbery as the house had been ransacked. The police have, however, not been told about how much money or valuables had been taken.

The couple's grandson, Rishi, who was visiting them for holidays after his Class X exams was sleeping on the first floor. He told Express Newsline: ``Nanaji (Grandfather) had gone to bed early and Naniji (grandmother) went to sleeparound 10.30 pm. I kept watching television in the lobby till 11 pm. Thereafter, I went upstairs in my room. I didn't hear any noise in the night. I came to know about the tragedy when the neighbours woke me up at seven in the morning.''

According to the police, the Puris' second domestic help, Kehmar Singh, was the first to discover the crime when he opened the couple's door in the morning to serve them bed tea. The bodies were lying on the floor and there was blood all over the walls, doors, cabinet, bedsheets and pillows. A ladies' and gents' wallet were found lying on the bed.

There were signs that Kanta Puri had put up some resistance. A patch of Virender's vest, apparently torn during the scuffle, was found from the spot. The murder weapon was also recovered from the bedroom. The police said that the culprit had washed himself clean before fleeing. The couple had been staying at 19/9, G block, since the past nine years. Their son, Naveen Puri, was living in Jalandhar while their married daughter,Vineeta was in Ludhiana. Neighbour Jeevan Khanna said: ``In fact, the Puris were supposed to leave for Jalandhar around Thursday-Friday. Uncle was with me last evening and had asked me to arrange for some latches and locks. It came as a rude shock to me in the morning when Kehar Singh broke this unfortunate news to me.''

Shashi Sondhi, a relative, said: ``R D Puri was a paralytic. He could not speak at all and was almost immobile, but still the couple was extremely social. In fact, they shared an excellent rapport with the neighbours.''The police, meanwhile, have managed to get hold of Virender's photograph and teams have been stationed at the city's railway stations and ISBTs to track down the accused. Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Yadav has urged the residents of the area to get the antecedents of their domestic help verified. Yadav said the murders could have been averted had the Puris got Virender verified.