Faridabad: Stalker who shot at minor girl caught from Gurugram

Police identified the suspect as Jitendra, alias Jatin Mangla, 30, who worked in the accounts section of a group of institutions at Jakhopur in Faridabad.

Two days after a 17-year-old girl was shot while returning home from the library in Faridabad, the prime suspect, who had been stalking her for several months, was arrested in Gurugram’s Sohna, said Faridabad police on Wednesday.

He was apprehended by the crime branch from his native village of Saramathla on Wednesday . (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police identified the suspect as Jitendra, alias Jatin Mangla, 30, who worked in the accounts section of a group of institutions at Jakhopur in Faridabad. He was apprehended by the crime branch from his native village of Saramathla on Wednesday.

The victim is a Class 12 student at a private school in Faridabad. Police said the accused also used to visit the same library for his studies about a year ago, where he first met the girl.

The incident took place on a residential road in Ballabgarh’s Shyam Colony, around 5.20 pm on Monday, when the victim was returning home to Bhagat Singh Colony after visiting the library.

The victim, along with two friends, had walked just 200m when he fired at her. However, the country-made pistol misfired, giving her a few seconds to move. The suspect then pulled the trigger for the second time when the pistol fired causing bullet injury in her left shoulder and forearm and splinter injuries on her face. The girl is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital where doctors have carried out surgeries for the injuries.

Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said that the suspect had been continuously stalking and harassing the minor girl over the past few months.

“He was putting pressure on her for friendship even though the girl had outrightly refused to entertain him and refused to talk to him on multiple occasions. She had even blocked his contact number,” he said.

“He had tried to strike up a conversation with the girl while she was going to the library a few days before the incident. This time, she had confided in her family and her parents had contacted the suspect’s mother on Saturday who had assured that his son wouldn’t harass her further with request not to contact police,” he said.

“However, on Monday, he finally shot her from a close range with the motive to murder her but she managed to survive,” Yadav said.

Police officials said that the suspect will be produced before a Faridabad court on Thursday and taken into police remand for interrogation to ascertain his exact motive and from whom and where he had purchased the country-made pistol used for shooting the girl.

Meanwhile, the Haryana state women’s commission has also taken cognisance of the incident and sought a report from the Faridabad police on the action taken till in the case and on the issue of security and assistance provided to the victim.