Friend tells cops she saw woman being dragged: ‘Fled fearing trouble’

Describing what happened after the Baleno car hit their scooter, Nidhi said her friend’s foot was stuck to the car, but she escaped

Minutes before they were hit by the Baleno car driven by five drunk men, Nidhi(21)and her friend Anjali Kumari(20), were nearly run over by a truck on Sunday night.

A protest in Anjali Kumari’s neighbourhood of Karan Vihar on Tuesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Nidhi, a key witness, who was present when the accident took place, said she saw Kumari being dragged under the Baleno car just metres ahead from the spot where the truck nearly crushed them. The 21-year-old told HT on Tuesday evening that she had recorded her statement before the police and a magistrate in the afternoon.

“Anjali (Kumari) wanted to ride the scooter but I did not give her the keys because she was drunk. A truck also nearly ran us over because of the way she was driving. Right after this, I tried to stop the scooter and applied brakes while sitting behind. I asked her to let me drive but she didn’t trust me. That is when the Baleno car coming from the other side hit us head on,” she said.

HT spoke to a police officer who confirmed that Nidhi, in her statement, said they were nearly hit by a truck within minutes of leaving the hotel in Rohini where they had gone for a party with friends.

Describing what happened after the Baleno car hit their scooter, Nidhi said her friend’s foot was stuck to the car, but she escaped. “Anjali shouted for help but those men continued to drive. They reversed the car and also moved it ahead despite knowing that Anjali was trapped. They did this at least twice. They tried to hit me as well but could not do so. The car had tinted window panes and those men were drunk. I panicked and left the spot. I suffered minor injuries. I walked back home and told my mother about the accident but did not give her details,” said Nidhi.

“We did not know those five men,” she added.

When asked why she did not inform the police, Nidhi said, “I was scared. I didn’t want anything to come back to my parents. At that point, I thought that was the right decision.”

Nidhi, who had spent the New Years’ eve with Kumari, said they were at a party with their friends in a Rohini Hotel. They booked a room and checked in at around 7pm on December 31.

HT spoke to Anil Singh, manager of Hotel Vivaan in Rohini Sector 23, where the two women attended the party. He said the two women left the hotel after midnight. “They booked a room and were attending a party with other guests till midnight. The police came to our hotel and took the CCTV footage along with photocopies of the identity documents that the two women and other guests submitted at the hotel,” Singh said.

Giving details of what happened after they left the hotel, Nidhi said, “After the party, I went to a 24X7 shop nearby to buy something. When I returned, Anjali (Kumari) was upset because she had fought with one of her friends, who was at the hotel. She said we must leave. That is when I argued with her because I did not want her to ride the scooter.”

Nidhi confirmed she has given the same statement to the police.

Nidhi’s statement confirming they were hit by the Maruti Baleno car driven by five arrested men is crucial evidence for police because the autopsy report confirmed Kumari(20) died of injuries caused by vehicular accident and dragging.

Special police commissioner Sagar Preet Hooda said Nidhi’s statement recorded under 164 Code of Criminal Procedure is admissible evidence against the five accused -- Deepak Khanna(26), Amit Khanna(25), Krishan (27), Mithun Kumar(26) and Manoj Mittal(27).