Delhi woman dragged by car, killed: Accused charged with culpable homicide

During interrogation, the five accused said they were not aware that their car was dragging the woman. The victim’s family, however, has alleged that she was sexually abused

The Delhi police on Monday added sections of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the five accused in connection with the accident of the woman who was hit by their car and later dragged for 7 km, officials said. Her naked body was found on a road in Kanjhawala in Sultanpuri in the early hours of Sunday.

Grey Baleno identified by police that dragged woman for 7 km in Sultanpuri causing her death (ANI Photo)

A 20-year-old woman was killed after a grey Baleno hit her scooty and dragged her around for nearly 7 km in outer Delhi’s Sultanpuri early on Sunday morning. Five men, who were suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident were arrested for causing death by negligence.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Harendra K Singh said sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code were added to section 279 (rash driving) and 304A (causing death by negligence) against the arrested accused people.

While the sections in which the case was registered earlier were bailable, section 304 is non-bailable.

Following the incident, the Delhi police on Sunday arrested five people in connection with the case, namely Deepak Khanna (26), Amit Khanna (25), Krishan (27), Mithun (26) and Manoj Mittal (27).

According to the police, Deepak, the driver, borrowed the car at around 8pm on Saturday and picked up his friends. Police said the five drove to Murthal, Haryana, where they had dinner. Police suspect the accused consumed liquor inside their car and left for Mangolpuri in Delhi after midnight.

Police are also probing if Deepak was drunk at the time of the accident.

The woman was on her way home from work when the incident took place early Sunday morning. A case of causing death by rash and negligent driving was initially registered against the accused

During interrogation, the five accused said they were not aware that their car was dragging the woman. The victim’s family, however, has alleged that she was sexually abused.

According to special commissioner of police (law and order, zone 1), Deependra Pathak, the Kanjhawala police station in Rohini district received a distress call at around 3.20am about a body being dragged under a grey-coloured Maruti Baleno going towards Qutubgarh.

While the police from Rohini district were still probing the call, another caller informed the police of a woman’s body lying on the Kanjhawala main road at around 4.11am.

A police team was rushed to the spot where they found the woman’s body without clothes and with broken limbs, leading to suspicion that the woman was sexually assaulted and murdered. The police, however, said later that it appeared to be a case of causing death by rash and negligent driving.

A post-mortem examination of the woman’s body is likely to be conducted on Monday, officials said.

Meanwhile, DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal took cognisance of the matter and issued a summons to the police.

“Her body was found without clothes on the road. This is a very scary incident. I am issuing a summons to Delhi Police to appear before the panel. What were the security arrangements on the occasion of New Year?” she tweeted.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) too has written to the Delhi police commissioner and demanded a fair and time-bound investigation into the incident.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal too condemned the incident and demanded strict punishment for the accused. “I hope that the culprits will be punished severely,” he said. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena said that all aspects of the case were being looked into.