Delhi horror: 10 police vehicles were deployed to trace offending vehicle

As per the latest updates, sources have told news agency PTI that at least 10 vehicles, including PCR vans and night patrolling units, were deployed to trace the offending vehicle which hit the 20-year-old woman.

As per sources, among these 10 vehicles, three PCR vans from Kanjhawala, Hoshambi border and Aman Vihar area were trying to chase down the offending Baleno car. The sources added that they could not chase the Baleno car due to dense fog and the car had taken narrow lanes instead of the main road to dodge police.

Here are top developments of Kanjhawala case:

On the fateful night, multiple teams were deployed under four ACPs of Rohini district to trace the car, collect details from PCR callers and identify the victim as well as the accused involved in the case, sources said as quoted by PTI, further adding that teams from Aman Vihar, Prem Nagar, Begumpur and Prashant Vihar were deployed to crack the case.

They further said, the first PCR caller informed the police at 2:30 am on January 1 that the Baleno car fled the spot after the incident. The second PCR call, which was received around 3:30 am, informed police that the woman’s body was stuck under the vehicle, but he was unable to give them the registration number of the car due to dense fog and poor visibility.

However, with the help of a camera with a automatic number plate reader installed in the Kanjhawala area, police could spot the Baleno car and identify the registration number of the vehicle, which ultimately led them to the owner of the offending vehicle. 

Meanwhile, another CCTV footage recovered by police showed that a PCR van had just crossed the same stretch between Sultanpuri and Kanjhawala approximately within five minutes of the incident.  

After attending the PCR call, when the police van was returning, it had spotted a scooty in an accidental condition and informed the SHO of the area. “Since no one was found near the site, it was assumed that the victim must have been taken to hospital by some passer-by. By the time police traced the ownership of the vehicle, it was established that it belonged to Anjali Singh who was killed in the accident,” the officer said as reported by PTI, adding that the scooty was registered in the name of Singh’s mother.

Sources also said that police have recovered another CCTV footage in which the victim was seen drinking and engaging in a brawl. However, the post-mortem report is not conclusive and only through the viscera, it can be established if one was under the influence of alcohol, police said.

All five accused in the case are currently in police custody.

Anjali’s friend Nidhi had said that the former was drunk at the time of the incident. Demanding a probe into claims of Anjali’s friend, Delhi Commission for Woman chief Swati Maliwal said the victim died a painful death and her “character assassination” should not be done. “The claims of her friend need to be investigated. Anjali should not be blamed for what happened to her. The accused should be hanged,” she said.

On Wednesday, Anjali Singh’s mother Rekha Devi told reporters her daughter has never drunk alcohol in her life. “I never seen or heard of Nidhi. She never visited our home. She is lying. My daughter never consumed alcohol. She never came home drunk. Nidhi is lying.” The family also claimed that they had never seen or heard of the ‘friend’ who was with Anjali.

The family doctor of the victim also rejected Nidhi’s claims she was heavily drunk on the night of the incident, saying the autopsy report did not find any trace of alcohol in her stomach. Police, however, said Nihdi will be their prime witness as they recovered more CCTV footage to piece together the events of the night when Anjali met her brutal death.

Nidhi had earlier said that the five men accused of dragging the woman under their car killed her “deliberately” as they kept on driving despite knowing that she was stuck under the vehicle.

According to the footage recovered so far, it has been found that Anjali and Nidhi stepped out of the hotel at 1.16 am, then had a fight and subsequently left the hotel at 1.32 am. 

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia met Anjali’s family and said the incident was an example of extreme brutality. He said efforts will be made to provide employment to one of Anjali’s kin. “If a piece of polythene or even paper is stuck, it is easily sensed and the driver stops the vehicle to check it. The incident is an example of extreme cruelty that shook one from inside,” Sisodia said.

(With inputs from agencies)