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GEETIKA SUICIDE |
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Delhi police likely to question Nupur Mehta
Model Nupur Mehta worked at Gopal Kanda’s now-defunct MDLR Airlines as vice-president, communications
Tehelka.com Bureau
New Delhi
Model Nupur Mehta, who made it to the headlines after she was linked to the cricket match-fixing scandal earlier this year, is likely to be questioned by the Delhi police in connection with Geetika suicide case. Nupur Mehta worked at Gopal Kanda’s now-defunct MDLR Airlines as vice-president, communications.
After evading the police for 10 days, the former Haryana minister was arrested after he surrendered in the early morning hours of 18 August. A Delhi court had sent Kanda to a seven-day police custody.
Geetika committed suicide at her Ashok Vihar residence in New Delhi on 5 August. In her suicide note, Geetika blamed Kanda and Aruna Chaddha, another executive of MDLR, for continuously harassing and torturing her mentally.
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After surrender, court sends Kanda to 7-day police custody
Although the minister on the run gave in, speculation is rife about him having tampered with crucial evidence
Tehelka.com Bureau
New Delhi
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Photos: Vijay Pandey
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A Delhi court has sent the former Haryana minister Gopal Goyal Kanda, key accused in MDLR airhostess Geetika Sharma's suicide case, to a seven-day police custody after he was produced before a court here on Saturday afternoon. Although the Delhi Police had sought a 14-day custody of Kanda, the court agreed only to seven days. It may so happen that once Kanda is produced in court seven days later, the cops may insist on extending his custody. The former Haryana minister was arrested after evading the police for 10 days when he surrendered in a dramatic early morning appearance on Saturday.
After absconding for 10 days, Kanda, the man named in deceased Geetika Sharma’s suicide note, turned himself in the wee hours of Saturday. Kanda drove into the Bharat Nagar police station close to the Ashok Vihar house where Geetika had ended her life. He was subsequently arrested but there are now apprehensions over the crucial evidence destroyed by Kanda while he was on the run.
The Delhi Police have already stated in court that Kanda had destroyed evidence at the headquarters of his defunct MDLR Airlines. The police have close to 400 pages of SMS conversations between Kanda and Geetika apart from a string of emails in which the airhostess blames Kanda for stifling her career growth. There are fears that Kanda may have destroyed photos of MDLR Airlines parties and other damaging material that linked him to Geetika. The cops also stumbled upon computers whose hard drives had been taken out before they could be confiscated.
Geetika’s brother Ankit Sharma, meanwhile, has called for Kanda’s statement before the magistrate to be taken on camera. “We fear that Gopal Kanda has destroyed material evidence and has tampered with damning evidence against him. The investigation against Kanda should be impartial as during the 12 days he has done all he could to kill the case,” said Ankit after hearing the news of Kanda’s arrest.
The police despite conducting 60 search operations in five states failed to arrest Kanda. They have also sought extension of the custody of MDLR staffer Aruna Chaddha submitting before the district court that she was not cooperating with their investigations. Chaddha has been reluctant to disclose information and may have even facilitated the removal of sensitive videos related to MDLR Airlines from the internet. She is also suspected to have deleted the online presence of Geetika on a social networking site. The Delhi Police has now asked cyber experts to step in to retrieve her information and also to investigate how and when these accounts were deleted.
Despite Kanda’s arrest, it seems that the Delhi Police have a lot to account for as the investigation looks like it is going for a tailspin. There are questions being raised on police’ procrastination in arresting Kanda thus enabling him to dodge investigation. The Delhi police has a tranche of SMSes exchanged between Kanda and Geetika but cannot use the suicide note as evidence to claim that Kanda abetted Geetika’s suicide. Kanda’s statement will be crucial for the Delhi Police. The main case made by the police against Kanda is under Section 306 of IPC for abetting suicide. If convicted, Kanda could face a jail term of upto 10 years, which could effectively put an end to his political career.
Sources in the Delhi Police say that they have strong evidence but will be relying heavily on Kanda’s statement to build the case against him. Kanda’s counsel, meanwhile, has stated that the former minister will be cooperating fully with the police investigations.
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