3 PCR vans chased car which dragged Delhi woman to death; family says she never took liquor

At least 10 police vehicles, including PCR vans and night patrolling units, were deployed to trace the Maruti Baleno car which hit a 20-year-old woman and dragged her for 12 km from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala, sources have said.

Among these 10 vehicles, three PCR vans from Kanjhawala, Hoshambi border and Aman Vihar area were trying to chase down the offending vehicle, but could not do so due to dense fog and the car had taken narrow lanes instead of the main road to dodge police, they said.

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The 20-year-old woman was killed in the early hours of the New Year after her scooter was hit by the car which dragged her for 12 km. Her body was found in outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala.

Sources said, on December 31 night, multiple teams were deployed under four ACPs of Rohini district to trace the car, collect details from PCR callers and identify the victim and the accused involved in the case. Teams from Aman Vihar, Prem Nagar, Begumpur and Prashant Vihar were deployed to crack the case.

According to sources, 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 an 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.

A police officer told PTI that the PCR (police control room) van which had crossed the stretch was going to solve a brawl reported in the area. Three people were apprehended in this connection, he said. After attending the PCR call, when the police van was returning, it had spotted a damaged Scooty and informed the SHO of the area.

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“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, adding that the scooty was registered in the name of Singh’s mother.

‘Anjali never took alcohol, Nidhi should be probed’

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.

Meanwhile, 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.

“She died a painful death. She was dragged on Delhi’s roads for 12 kilometres and her body was found naked. 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. Anjali’s friend Nidhi had said that the former was drunk at the time of the incident.

Anjali’s mother also told reporters on Wednesday that her daughter never consumed alcohol while questioning how Nidhi left the spot of the accident instead of helping Anjali if she was her friend.

“I don’t know Nidhi. I have never seen her. Anjali never used to drink. She never came home in an inebriated state. We don’t buy what Nidhi is claiming,” Anjali’s mother told ANI.

Also read: Woman dragged under car was with friend during accident; ‘no injury to private parts’

Anjali’s maternal uncle, Prem has said that he suspects Nidhi’s involvement in the crime and has demanded a CBI investigation into the case.

“Nidhi and her family should have informed the police about the incident. Nidhi should be interrogated. She, too, is involved. We demand CBI inquiry in the case,” he said.

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