2 more arrested for Sultanpuri accident

In a related development, police also brought Nidhi to join the investigation to ascertain the exact sequence of events, senior officers associated with the probe said

The Delhi Police on Friday arrested two more people in connection with the gruesome Sultanpuri accident, officers aware of the matter said, taking the number of arrests in the case to seven.

Outside the residence of Sultanpuri accident victim Anjali Kumari at Mangol Puri in New Delhi on Friday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

According to police, Anjali Kumari (20) and Nidhi (21) were returning from a New Year’s Eve party early on January 1 on a scooter when a Maruti Suzuki Baleno hit their two-wheeler. While Nidhi fell on the side, Anjali’s body was entangled in the underside of the car as it drove on for at least two hours, dragging it for at least 14km and was found by residents of outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala at around 4am.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Harendra Singh said the two men arrested on Friday have been identified as Ashutosh (32) and Ankush Khanna (30). While Ashutosh was nabbed from Budh Vihar, Ankush surrendered at the Sultanpuri police station. Police have been granted three-day custody of Ashutosh, officers said.

Police had earlier arrested Deepak Khanna (26), Amit Khanna (25), Krishan (27), Mithun Kumar (26), and Manoj Mittal (27) for their alleged role in the accident. While reports initially said the car had five occupants and was being driven by Deepak, police on Thursday revealed that the car only had four occupants -- Deepak was at home at the time of the accident -- and it was Amit who was driving the car. Deepak, Amit’s cousin, decided to take the blame as he had a driver’s licence and Amit did not, officers said.

A senior police officer said Ashutosh gave the car to Amit, Krishan, Mithun, and Manoj late on December 31. After the accident, the officer said, Ashutosh tried to help them get away with the crime, gave false information to police and tried to mislead the investigation.

“In CCTV footage, he could be seen walking outside his house at around 4am, talking on the phone. He organised an autorickshaw so the men could escape after bringing back the car. However, he lied to police when he was contacted on January 1,” the officer said.

Talking about Ankush, a second officer said he is Amit’s brother. “He was consistently in touch with the accused persons. It was his idea to lie to police that Deepak was the one driving because Amit did not have a driver’s licence. He was the one who went to Deepak’s residence and brought him to the accused men,” the officer said.

Separately, police brought Nidhi to join the investigation in the case. “She was asked to join the probe to ascertain the exact sequence of events and establish what happened that night. She was taken on the route which the women took that night and CCTV footage was then checked on that route. At no point from the Rohini hotel (where they were celebrating a party) till the scene of the accident was Anjali alone. She was with Nidhi on the scooter,” the officer said.