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Divya Pahuja’s body travelled 150km in canal: Police
The body was fished out from the Bhakra Canal in Haryana’s Tohana after police roped in 42 divers to scour the waters
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Police recovered the body of Divya Pahuja, the 27-year-old former model who was shot dead at a city hotel on January 2 months after she was released from prison, officials said on Saturday.
The body was fished out from the Bhakra Canal in Haryana’s Tohana after police roped in 42 divers to scour the waters following information they received Balraj Gill, the man who got rid of Pahuja’s body and went on the run before he was caught from Kolkata on Friday.
“Six teams were deployed in Punjab including two in outskirts of Patiala. “he teams were searching for the body with the help of 42 divers. The body travelled around 150 kilometres and was found in Bhakra canal in Tohana near Fatehabad,” said Vijay Pratap Singh, deputy commissioner of police (DCP crime).
Singh said Pahuja’s family confirmed the body to be hers after verifying two tattoos she had from photos that were sent to them on Saturday morning. The body was taken to a facility in Tohana for an autopsy to be carried out on Sunday.
According to Singh, Gill told them that the body was thrown into the Bakhra Canal in Patiala on January 3, the day after she was murdered allegedly by Gurugram hotel owner Abhijeet Singh and two of his aides.
Varun Dahiya, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that the body had not decomposed due to the cold and it was sent for post-mortem at the Tohana Civil Hospital. “A board of doctors will be formed to conduct the post-mortem that will take place on Sunday. The family members of Pahuja have identified the body with the help of the two tattoos – one on her shoulder and another on her lower back,” he said.
Pahuja’s family members were taken to the spot where the body was recovered, said police.
Naina Pahuja, sister of the deceased, said they were on their way to the spot and had received pictures from which they made the identification. “If Gurugram police conducted timely searches, the body would have been recovered the very first day. We will bring her body to Gurugram,” she said.
A Gurugram police team on Friday obtained Gill’s transit remand from a Kolkata court after he was caught at the airport.
Pahuja was in prison for seven years until she received bail and came out of prison in July last year in connection with her role in the alleged staged police killing of dreaded gangster Sandeep Gadoli, with whom she was linked at the time. On January 2, Pahuja was allegedly shot dead in a hotel by its owner Abhijeet Singh, who has since said she was blackmailing him — the purported motive for the crime.
Dahiya said another suspect was arrested from Rohtak on Sunday: Pravesh Singh (37) of Ghilor Kalan of Rohtak, who allegedly provided the weapons used in the murder. “During questioning he revealed that he was fond of keeping weapons and, in connection with the aforementioned allegations, he had provided Abhijeet Singh, the main accused, three pistols and some live cartridges. The police team seized one pistol and two live cartridges from his possession. Additionally, two pistols and 40 live cartridges related to the ballistic evidence against the main were confiscated from Delhi,” he said.
Police said Pravesh Singh has other cases against him with allegations including attempted murder, robbery, possession of narcotics, illegal possession of weapons.
Dahiya said during interrogation in transit, Gill revealed that he and the main accused Abhijeet Singh were friends during from college at Hisar. Abhijeet had called Gill and another associate Ravi Banga after killing Pahuja for help in disposing of the body.
“Gill and Banga left Gurugram with Pahuja’s body on the night of January 2, threw the body into the Bhakra Canal the following morning at Patiala, and abandoned the car at the Patiala bus stand before fleeing the scene,” he added.
Police said Gill and Banga, in an attempt to evade arrest, travelled to Jaipur and Udaipur, and from there to Kanpur. “From Kanpur, they took a train to Kolkata. Upon reaching Kolkata, Balraj and Ravi separated,” said an official.
