Kanjhawala death case: In a major revelation in the killing of a 20-year-old woman in Delhi's Kanjhawala, police said that the deceased, Anjali Singh, was not alone during the accident but her friend, Nidhi, was also injured on the ill-fated day. According to Delhi police, Nidhi also suffered minor injuries before she fled from the spot.
Notably, Anjali Singh killed in the early hours of New Year after her scooter was hit by a car, was dragged for 12 kilometres under the vehicle on the city's roads, police said and added culpable homicide among other stringent sections on Monday in the case following protests over alleged "shoddy investigation".
"When we traced the route of the deceased, it was found that she wasn't alone on her scooty. A girl was with her at the time of the accident. She suffered injuries and fled from the spot but the deceased's legs got stuck in the car, after which she was dragged," said police.
Both friends had a heated argument at hotel: Staff
While speaking exclusively to IndiaTV on Tuesday, two hotel staff claimed that both of them had booked a room (102) and had drinks before leaving the place. Also, they revealed that both of them had a heated argument and when the staff tried to mediate, the friends told them, "Leave us.. we will solve the matter."
Five accused arrested
According to the FIR filed in the case, the five accused, who have been arrested, had borrowed the car hours before the incident which took place around 2 am on Sunday. Deepak Khanna and Amit Khanna took the car from their friend Ashutosh and later left the vehicle at his residence in an accidental condition. The two told Ashutosh they had drinks, and that the car met with an accident with a scooty in the Krishan Vihar area, the FIR states, adding they later fled towards Kanjhawala.
Police, however, said their medical report is still awaited.
Timeline of Kanjhawala death case
Police found the scooter in accident condition in Krishan Vihar, Sultanpuri area. The FIR states that the Kanjhawala police station received three PCR calls that the naked body of a woman was found near Hanuman Mandir, Jonti village.
A sub-inspector from Kanjhawala police station contacted one of the callers and found out that a grey Baleno car was involved in the incident, following which police reached Budh Vihar, Phase-1 where the owner of the vehicle, Lokesh, was traced. He stated that his car was with his brother-in-law Ashutosh, a resident of Rohini Sector-1, according to the FIR.
Accused borrowed the car from his friend
Ashutosh further stated that his friend Deepak and Amit took the car from him on Saturday around 7 pm and later left the vehicle at his residence in accidental condition on Sunday around 5 am. After the police arrived at his place, Ashutosh called Deepak and Amit. Deepak told the sub-inspector that he was driving the car and Manoj Mittal, another accused, was sitting next to him. Mithun, Krishan and Amit were in the rear seat, the FIR said.
"In Krishan Vihar, they met with an accident with a scooter on which a woman was sitting. The woman fell off the scooter. They got scared and fled towards Kanjhawala," the FIR said. When they stopped the vehicle near Jonti village on Kanjhawala Road, they found the woman, who was sitting on the scooter, under the car. They got scared and left the victim there. Later, they went to Ashutosh's home, parked the car and proceeded towards their respective residences, the FIR added.
Accused booked on charges of culpable homicide
Addressing a press conference here, Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda said fresh charges could be added against the five accused arrested in connection with the case on the basis of the post-mortem report. The accused have been booked on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence and criminal conspiracy, according to police.
"The accused will be taken to the scene of the crime to verify their version of events. The timeline of events will be established on the basis of CCTV footage and digital evidence," Hooda told reporters. "The forensic examination of the vehicle is also being done," he said.
The victim's family is being updated about the investigation and has been assured that the police will gather all evidence to ensure that the accused get the strictest punishment, the officer said.
"We are taking assistance from forensic and legal teams. Several teams have been formed which are investigating the case. Police will try to collect all the evidence, including physical evidence, oral evidence and CCTV-based evidence, during the probe and will produce them before the court," a senior police officer said.
Police also investigating rape angle
Sanjeev Gupta, the head of the crime scene management division at FSL, said their teams on Monday examined the vehicles and spots.
"Our two specialised teams of eight members inspected the vehicles, the places where the body was found and where the damaged scooter was found," Gupta said.
Sources said that the FSL teams have found blood traces from where the body was recovered and from the lower portion of the car. "Certain queries regarding the sexual assault of Kanjhawala victim are being raised. I would like to clarify that post-mortem of the victim is being conducted by a board of doctors and based on their report and evidence, further action as made out will be taken," Delhi Police Spokesperson Suman Nalwa said.
Victim had gone to Murthal
According to the sources, the accused told police that they had gone to Murthal on New Year's eve and were returning when the incident happened.
Video footage is being circulated on social media where police are seen throwing reporters out of the police station area and later closing the gate.
In a tweet in Hindi, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora said, "The case of the death of a girl on a road in the Kanjhawala area of outer Delhi is extremely tragic. All five main accused have been arrested. At present, many of our teams are engaged in investigating the incident. Delhi Police is in constant touch with the family members of the deceased and providing all assistance to them."
In another tweet, he said, "We are with them (the victim's family) in this hour of grief. I want to assure all of you that according to the facts found in the investigation, we will set an example by taking the strictest legal action so that such incidents do not happen again." A video purportedly showing the woman's body without clothes and broken legs has surfaced on social media. The footage has led to claims that the victim was raped and killed but police said it was an accident.
(With inputs from agencies)
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