Shiv Nadar student had weapon on campus for 28 days before incident, say police

DCP SM Khan, said that transaction details of ₹35,000 from the deceased student’s digital wallet account led them to the source of the firearm

The Gautam Budh Nagar police arrested three suspects on Saturday for allegedly supplying a country-made pistol to a 21-year-old student from Shiv Nadar University, who took his own life after allegedly shooting dead his female classmate using the same weapon, police said.

The three suspects in custody. (HT Photo)

The three suspects have been identified as Naveen Kumar Bhati, Divyansh awasthi and Shekhar Kaushal were arrested for supplying illicit weapon under relevant sections of the Arms Act on Saturday.

Investigations revealed that the deceased obtained the gun on April 18 from Bulandshahr and brought it to the campus on April 20. The male students told the suspects that he wanted the weapon to show off to his friends in college, officials associated with the matter said.

The student carried the pistol on campus for 28 days prior to the incident, police said.

HT tried to reach out to the university officials, but they declined to make any comments on the matter.

On the afternoon of May 18, the male classmate shot and killed the 21-year-old female student near the university’s dining hall before returning to the hostel and taking his own life. Both were third-year BA Sociology students.

Subsequently, on May 20, the police booked the deceased student under the Arms Act for the illegal possession of weapons.

Deputy commissioner of police, SM Khan, said that transaction details of ₹35,000 from the deceased student’s digital wallet account led them to the source of the firearm.

“The student purchased the gun for ₹35,000 and on April 18, he transferred the amount to the account of Bhati. Further investigation revealed that Bhati was acquainted with the student since their school days in Bulandshahr,” the officer said.

The male student hailed from Amroha district and studied at Vidyagyan School in Sikandrabad, Bulandshahr district, from Class 6 to 12. “During this time, Bhati worked as a driver for the school ambulance, and they became acquainted. Although the student enrolled at Shiv Nadar University in 2021, he maintained contact with Bhati. Bhati left the ambulance driver job in November 2022 and began working as a driver for a resident of Greater Noida,” Khan said.

Bhati currently works as a driver for Divyansh Awasthi, a resident of Supertech Czar society in Omicron-1, Greater Noida. An official associated with the matter said that Bhati and the student communicated over calls regarding acquiring a pistol.

“Bhati told during interrogation that the student informed him about his intention to possess the gun to impress his college friends. Bhati approached his employer, Awasthi, to purchase a pistol. Awasthi informed him that his friend Shekhar Kaushal, based in Lucknow, had a pistol with live cartridges at his residence, and he could retrieve it upon payment of ₹35,000,” the officer said.

On April 18, the student left the university campus and went to Bhati’s residence in Bhora village, Bulandshahr. “There, he made two transactions to Bhati’s digital wallet, one for ₹12,000 and the other for ₹13,000. The remaining ₹10,000 was given in cash,” said Sujeet Upadhyay, the station house officer of Dadri Police Station.

“Awasthi instructed me to go to his flat in Greater Noida, where his friend Kaushal was present. He told me to call Kaushal, who would provide me with the pistol and five cartridges. On April 19, I went to the flat, took the pistol and cartridges, and returned to Bulandshahr, where I handed them over to the student,” Bhati revealed during questioning.

SHO said that the suspects identified the deceased after his pictures were flashed on news channels. “The suspects distributed the ₹35,000 among themselves, of which ₹15,000 each were divided among Awasthi and Kaushal, while Bhati took ₹5,000,” the officer added.

“The suspects were produced before a court and sent to judicial custody,” said the officer.