A late-night fight in Delhi’s Chhawla area ended in a crime that shocked the neighbourhood. A 44-year-old woman lost her life after her live-in partner, Virendra Singh, attacked her during a heated argument about his drinking.

Police say Virendra, 35, moved her body to his car soon after the fight. He wanted to take it somewhere far, but because he was drunk, he could not drive properly. He left the body in the back seat, went inside the house again, drank more, and fell asleep.

The next morning, a neighbour spotted the woman’s body inside a parked Swift car and alerted the police.

When officers reached the spot, they found injury marks and scratches on the woman’s face. Police later learned that the couple had been staying together for two years. Virendra, who is married and has children, had bought a three-floor house in Chhawla using money from the sale of the woman’s earlier home in Palam.

Around ?21 lakh from that sale was still with Virendra, which often became the reason for fights between them.

During questioning, Virendra accepted that he killed her. He said the fight started because she tried to stop him from drinking, and in anger, he pressed her neck with his elbow.

After this, he called two friends—a man and a woman—who helped him take the body down to the car. They left soon after.

Virendra tried to drive away to get rid of the body but only moved about 100 metres due to his drunken state. He then returned home and slept.

Police arrested him from the house. They are now looking for the two friends who helped him shift the body.

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People in Delhi will soon have a new activity to enjoy. From Saturday, hot air balloon rides will begin at two parks on the Yamuna floodplains, run by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

A test ride took place at Baansera Park earlier this week. The Lieutenant Governor, V.K. Saxena, was also present during the trial. Each ride will last around 10 minutes, and the cost will be ?3,000 per person, plus taxes.

The balloons will rise up to 100–150 feet. The Airports Authority of India has also allowed them to go up to 200 feet if needed.

For now, the rides will be held at Baansera Park in Sarai Kale Khan and Asita East Park in Laxmi Nagar. If more people show interest, the DDA may add rides at the Yamuna Sports Complex in Surajmal Vihar and the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex.

At the start, the rides will run only in the evening. Daytime rides may be added later based on public demand. A DDA spokesperson said the balloons will operate for four hours each day, and the time can be extended if required.

This activity is part of the DDA’s plan to improve the Yamuna floodplains and create more spaces for leisure. Asita, which once had illegal structures, has now been turned into a green park. Baansera, which used to be a dumping area for construction waste, has been changed into a bamboo-themed park with over 30,000 bamboo plants, three water bodies, and a musical fountain.

Officials also said that a ferry cruise on the Yamuna is planned for early next year.

Both the Yamuna Sports Complex and the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex are important recreational spots in the city.

Delhi woke up to even more polluted air on Friday. At 8 am, the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 384, which falls in the “very poor” range, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Mundka had the highest reading at 436, followed by Rohini at 432. Anand Vihar (408) and Jahangirpuri (420) were also in the “severe” zone, showing a sharp drop in air quality across many parts of the city.

19 Out of 39 Stations Show AQI Above 400

The areas around Delhi also faced bad air.

• Noida recorded 404, moving into the “severe” level.
• Greater Noida (377) and Ghaziabad (350) stayed in the “very poor” range.

CPCB data showed that 19 out of 39 stations in Delhi had AQI levels above 400 by 8 am.
Readings were high in Punjabi Bagh (417), RK Puram (418), Wazirpur (416), and Narela (407). Places like Chandni Chowk (408), JLN Stadium (401), and Burari Crossing (403) also fell in the “severe” range.

Delhi has been covered in thick smog all week. The 24-hour average AQI was 377 on Thursday, up from 327 on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the average AQI was 352 on Tuesday and 382 on Monday.

CPCB marks AQI levels as:

• 0–50: Good
• 51–100: Satisfactory
• 101–200: Moderate
• 201–300: Poor
• 301–400: Very Poor
• 401–500: Severe

Cold Wave Makes Pollution Harder To Clear

Weather experts say the air in the Capital will stay in the “very poor” range for the next few days.

Cold air, fog, and slow wind are making the pollution settle close to the ground. Many parts of Delhi-NCR and North India have minimum temperatures between 8°C and 12°C.

Data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said:

• Vehicles caused 19.5% of the pollution on Thursday.
• Ghaziabad added 8.2%.
• Baghpat added 7.3%.
• Stubble burning made up 0.7%.

Schools in Delhi opened fully for offline classes on Thursday. This happened after the Commission for Air Quality Management removed GRAP Stage-3 rules. The Education Department also cancelled hybrid learning instructions after a short improvement earlier in the week.