 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The family of Anjali Singh, who was hit and dragged by a car, on Wednesday rejected the statements of her 'friend' that she was drunk at the time of the incident, and said they had never seen or heard of Nidhi, while police quizzed seven people present at a New Year party attended by the two women before the accident.
Also, more CCTV footage emerged where Nidhi is seen returning home around 2.30 am, about 45 minutes after they left party venue, leading to questions being raised about the timeline of the events on the fateful night.
A post-mortem report stated that Singh had sustained 40 injuries over her body due to the drag. Her "brain matter" is missing and she had multiple contusions, abrasions and lacerations, the doctors found.
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.
The police had on Tuesday said they had traced Nidhi, who was riding pillion with Anjali Singh on her scooter but had fled after the incident, and recorded her statement.
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 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.
The 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.
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.
However, a CCTV grab recovered near Nidhi's residence shows that she reached her home around 1.37 am, just five minutes after leaving the hotel, raising questions over police's claim that the the accident happened around 2 am.
A senior police officer the CCTV device near Nidhi's residence was set 50 minutes late, hence the discrepancy.
"We have seized the DVR and that will explain the glitch. Further, these are CCTV footages from different locations and installed by different entities, so there may be differences of time," the officer, privy to the probe, told PTI.
When asked about questions being raised about Nidhi's claims, the officer maintained that she is their 'prime witness'.
One of Nidhi's neighbours said, "She came home around 2.30 am on Sunday...She had injuries on her legs and head and said she had an accident."
The police visited Nidhi's residence on Wednesday, a day after her statement was recorded, in which she had claimed that she had known Anjali only for 15 days and it was for the first time that they had gone out together.
During its investigation, the police checked the hotel records and it was found that the room was booked in the names of Anjali and Nidhi, and their Aadhaar cards photocopies were in possession of the hotel authorities.
Seven men, suspected to have been at the party with Anjali and Nidhi, have been questioned till now. Police said they are also collecting call detail records and mobile phone dump data of the victim, the accused and Nidhi.
Meanwhile, a team comprising four members of the Forensic Science Laboratory in Rohini along with Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Harendra Kumar Singh re-examined the Baleno car that had dragged Anjali and recreated the crime scene.
The blood samples of the five accused were received on Tuesday to ascertain if it has traces of alcohol, an FSL official said.
Anajli's post-mortem report, prepared by a three-member medical board, found "no injury present to the genitalia and semi digested food material was present inside the stomach".
Special commissioner of police Shalini Singh, who is probing whether there were any lapses on the police's part in handling the PCR calls received in connection with the incident, visited Sultanpuri police station to check and analysis the case files.
A senior police officer said, "Police personnel along with those from PCR department will also be questioned as part of the inquiry to ascertain if there was any laxity on part of them in responding to the incident and if they acted swiftly."
It will also be looking if the Standard Operating Procedure was followed by the police, the officer said, adding media reports about the accident will also be analysed as part of the ongoing inquiry into the matter.
Anjali's family received support from Nirbhaya's mother, Asha Devi, who demanded justice for her bereaved family.
"I have been through such an ordeal and have been facing the pain for 10 years. I came here to meet Anjali's mother seeing her condition. I want to convey my request to the government and police that justice should be done to the family," she told reporters.