Armyman held for abetting suicide of Delhi Police constable

The suspect was arrested on Friday from Meerut Cantonment, police said, adding that they tracked him down after a tip-off

An armyman, who was absconding for the past 18 months for allegedly abetting the death by suicide of a Delhi Police constable, was arrested from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, police officers said on Sunday.

A reward of ₹20,000 was declared for his arrest, said police. (File)

The case dates back to August 3, 2021, when a 24-year-old woman police constable died by suicide in Palam allegedly after being stalked and harassed by the suspect. While authorities were searching for the suspect since 2021, he somehow managed to take up an Army posting in Meerut, despite being a declared proclaimed offender and dismissal proceedings underway against him at his parent Army unit, said a police officer.

The police are still ascertaining how he managed to do this and are intimating the Army about the development.

“The suspect was arrested on Friday from Meerut Cantonment, where he had joined duty some time last year,” said Ravinder Yadav, special commissioner of crime branch, adding that they tracked him down after a tip-off.

The 24-year-old woman constable was posted at Delhi Police Headquarters and met the suspect in 2020 at Dhaula Kuan bus stand, said police officers. The two became friends, but the suspect did not tell the woman that he was already married with a child, said police.

Over the next few months, the suspect gained access to her email account, said police officers, adding that he would keep monitor her chats and harass her.

In 2021, the woman learned that the suspect was already married, so she broke off contact with him and blocked his mobile phone number, said police. “The kept contacting her using different phone numbers,” said Yadav.

In 2021, the woman became engaged to another man, but the suspect started pressuring her to break off the engagement, said police. “When the woman insisted on going ahead with the marriage, the suspect contacted her fiancée and told him about their relationship,” said Yadav.

After months of stalking and harassment, the woman hanged herself on August 3, 2021, said Yadav.

While her suicide note did not blame anyone, her sister, who knew about the alleged harassment by the suspect, informed police about his role.

The suspect went on the run from that moment and a reward of ₹20,000 was declared for his arrest, said police officers. The police teams that went to Bengaluru to track him down were told by his parent Army unit there that he was absent from duty without pay and dismissal proceedings were underway against him.

However, the suspect told police that while dismissal proceedings against him were underway in Bangaluru, he waited for the list of transfers and postings to arrive. “When that transfer list arrived last year, he got to know his new posting was in Meerut. He told us that somehow he managed to join the new posting in Meerut despite being a proclaimed offender and absent from duty at the previous posting,” said the officer anonymously quoted above.