For weeks, The Staircase, the HBO crime drama based on one of America’s famous murder trials, played out on the television at Kamal Singh’s Gagan Vihar residence in East Delhi.The web series revolves around a husband accused of killing his wife while investigators struggle to nail him because the murder weapon is never found.Days later, police said, the plot played out again at the same house — this time in reality.On July 30, the 62-year-old software consultant allegedly killed his wife, Komal Singh (50), inside their home, hid the murder weapon and fled with more than Rs 12 lakh in cash.The murder, police said, came to light when the couple’s son, Gaurav Singh (26), a doctor, returned from a library in Noida, where he had spent the day preparing for the postgraduate medical entrance examination.He had spent hours calling Komal. But she never answered.ALSO READ | Government reaches out to Opposition, signals it’s ready to soften FCRA BillUsing a spare key, Gaurav entered their home around 9.15 pm.Story continues below this adHe found Komal, a tuition teacher, lying beside the living room sofa in a pool of blood. She had suffered more than 10 stab wounds, said police. While a pair of scissors lay nearby, the object used to hit Komal on the head was missing.Kamal had disappeared too. 62-year-old Kamal Singh allegedly killed his wife, Komal Singh (50), inside their home.Only hours earlier, Gaurav had left home after watching his parents argue over the registration of a property. About an hour later, his twin sister, Gaurika, too, had left for her office in Noida, where she worked as a German language trainer.“It had been going on for far too long,” Gaurav told The Indian Express.An affairPolice said the marriage started falling apart after Kamal allegedly began a relationship with another woman during a trip to Mumbai last year.Story continues below this adKamal used to be a freelance SAP (systems, applications and products in data processing) software consultant, and had made considerable money, they added.The couple lived in a four-storey building the family owned in Gagan Vihar, a posh neighbourhood.“They lived on the second floor of the building with their children. The first was occupied by Kamal’s parents, the third by the wife and daughter of his elder brother who had passed away, and the fourth by his youngest brother. He has one more brother, who lives in Australia,” said an officer, adding that while the youngest brother was at odds with Kamal, Komal did not see eye to eye with her in-laws.Police said Kamal divided their three-bedroom home into two separate spaces. Komal was confined to one section, where separate electricity meters were installed.Story continues below this adALSO READ | ‘My daughter says ‘mummy, let’s go’, but I can’t leave without justice’: Protest brings Jharkhand’s job aspirants together“Since his return from Mumbai, he wanted to get rid of Komal. He had restricted Komal to one part of the house. She also had to pay for her own electricity usage. Kamal would shout if any of the children or Komal came to his side of the house,” said the officer.Property disputeThe final flashpoint, police said, was a property Kamal wanted to buy in Jagatpuri, which he wanted to be registered in his father’s name.“Komal feared she was being excluded from the family’s assets. So, she insisted that the property be registered in her name as well. This led to frequent disputes,” said the officer.Kamal told the police that by July he had started planning Komal’s murder.Story continues below this adThis is where The Staircase came in. In the web series, a man named Michael Peterson beat his wife Kathleen with a fireplace blow-poke. She was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their North Carolina home. The blow-poke was nowhere to be found.Police said Kamal bought a sword from Hari Nagar, hid it and waited.The murderOn July 30, as both the children and the domestic help left after finishing work, Kamal went to find Komal around 12.45 pm, said police.“As Komal was hanging clothes on the balcony, Kamal hit her on the head from behind with the sword. But as he had used the blunt side of the sword to hit her, Komal didn’t collapse. Instead, she started screaming and ran for her life,” said the officer.Story continues below this adALSO READ | Want to go back in December, our (1971) victory month: Sheikh HasinaWhile her scream could be heard through the building, no one intervened, police said. “Kamal’s father asked his wife to go and check on Komal. But she allegedly told him ‘let it be’,” the officer said.In the meantime, police said, Komal hid herself in the kitchen. Police said Kamal caught her, dragged her by the hair into the living room and stabbed her with scissors multiple times.By then, it was 12.55 pm. Kamal had taken 10 minutes to commit the murder, said police.They added that Kamal packed his bloodstained clothes and the sword into a backpack. As the tip of the sword was peeping out from the bag, he covered it with a pillowcase. He then took a shower for 15 minutes and left the house on his scooter.His destination: Nepal.Story continues below this adThe chaseThe investigation, led by Inspector Surendra Sharma, relied on technical surveillance, electronic evidence and CCTV footage.While going through footage of CCTV cameras installed around the neighbourhood and along Kamal’s possible escape routes, police found him placing the sword inside a bag before leaving the house.After the murder, police said Kamal first dumped the backpack in a vacant area. “He then went to two banks and withdrew Rs 2 lakh and over Rs 5 lakh, respectively. He had already taken Rs 5 lakh from his wife’s room before he left home,” said the officer.He then headed towards Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, intending to flee to Nepal, police said.But somewhere along the journey, Kamal changed course.Story continues below this ad“He didn’t stay at one place. He suspected that police might be looking for him around border areas, as he had taken a bus to Gorakhpur… So, he went towards Mathura, hoping to throw investigators off his trail,” said a senior officer.On August 2, police received information that Kamal intended to make another attempt to reach Nepal. He was finally intercepted near Mathura railway station — four days after Komal was killed.At the time of arrest, Rs 12.75 lakh in cash was found on him. The scooter he used to flee was also seized.The murder weapon, which he disposed of thinking it would weaken the case against him, is still missing.