Two Indian-origin women killed in Leicester

LONDON: Two women of Indian origin have been found murdered in a care home in Leicester, a town in the east Midlands with a large minority with roots in Gujarat and other parts of the Indian sub-continent.

The two women have been identified as of Rashni Badiani, 56, and Radhaben Chauhan, 72. They shared a room in the Hayes Park Nursing Home.

The local police have arrested and charged a 19-year-old man with murdering the two women, and is due to appear before a magistrate on Sunday. Initial postmortem results found that Badiani had suffered serious head injuries.

Reports from Leicester said that Badiani had been at the home since December 2004, while Chauhan, described by her family as a 'beautiful, bright, warm person', had lived there since August this year.

A statement from Badiani's family said, "We cannot believe what has happened. We are still trying to come to terms with the fact that we will never get to see her beloved smile again."

Detective superintendent Chris Thomas said, "Our minds are still open as to the motive for this crime. We continue to work closely with the directors and staff at the home, who continue to cooperate fully with the police investigation in difficult circumstances. Our thoughts are with the families of Badiani and Chauhan at this time."

Nursing home directors Suresh Kotecha and his brother Mahesh, said in a statement, "The staff, management and directors treat the residents as their own family and, as such, the murders of two of our family members has hurt us profoundly."

"Our sympathies and prayers go to the relatives of these two ladies who are the victims of this act."