Delhi Police constable arrested two years after alleged murder of female constable

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) A Delhi Police constable has been arrested, two years after the alleged murder of a female constable and the concealment of her remains in a hastily dug pit near a drain, a senior police official said on Sunday.

Addressing a press briefing, Special CP, Crime, Ravindra Singh Yadav said that the victim's skeletal remains were located two years after the crime, as per information provided by the accused constable, Surendra Singh Rana, 42.

On October 20, 2021, a missing person report was filed at Mukherjee Nagar police station about a 28-year-old woman who had been missing since September 8, 2021. "Local police had made diligent efforts to locate the missing woman, but unfortunately, she remained untraceable," said the Special CP. The woman, that time, had been selected as a Sub-Inspector in the UP Police and was actively preparing for civil services examinations, prompting her resignation from the Delhi Police.

"Subsequently, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police at the request of her family, with the Commissioner of Police overseeing a thorough and professional investigation," he added.

During the investigation, it was discovered that misleading calls had been made to the victim's family members. One such call was traced back to a SIM card acquired through fraudulent means. "Further inquiry revealed that a man named Rajpal had procured the fake SIM card, and he admitted to doing so at the behest of an individual named Ravin," said Yadav.

Subsequent interrogation of Ravin disclosed that he was the brother-in-law of Rana, who was known to have a close relationship with the missing woman.

Upon intense questioning, Rana confessed to his involvement in the murder of the victim. "He revealed that he had known the girl since 2018 when both of them were posted in the PCR Unit," said the official. "Over time, they had developed a close friendship. However, their relationship soured in 2021 as the victim refused to comply with his demands, leading to a heated argument on September 8, 2021," said the official.

Rana took the victim to Burari Pushta, where he strangled her and subsequently drowned her in a nearby drain. "To prevent the body from resurfacing, he placed stones on it," said the official. Further investigation revealed that, on November 11, 2021, Rana had his brother-in-law make calls to the victim's family members using different phone numbers, providing false information about the victim's well-being.

"They even claimed that she was married and living in Punjab, attempting to mislead the police and the victim's family by dropping documents related to her identity," said the official. As per Rana's instructions, Ravin made multiple calls to the victim's family, stating that she was happily living with him in different locations within Punjab.

At Rana's information, skeletal remains of the victim were eventually recovered from the Burari Pushta area. These remains have been taken into police custody for further investigation, including DNA profiling for confirmation, the official added.