After murder, cop threatens victim’s kin

A Delhi Police constable has been arrested on charges of threatening the brother of a 26-year-old honour-killing victim, who, along with his wife, was gunned down in the Ashok Vihar area of northwest Delhi in June last year. HT reports.

A Delhi Police constable has been arrested on charges of threatening the brother of a 26-year-old honour-killing victim, who, along with his wife, was gunned down in the Ashok Vihar area of northwest Delhi in June last year.

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The accused, identified as Praveen Kumar, was arrested after Amit Singh, the brother of deceased Kuldeep Singh, complained to the police that he was being threatened by the policeman to not give a statement before the police.

The incident dates back to June 20, 2010, when both Kuldeep and his wife Monica Khari, who had married against the wishes of their families, were shot dead by Monica’s brother Ankit and his friends.

The accused is a distant relative of Monica’s brother Ankit. “Both families live in the same area. Kuldeep’s brother complained to us that a few days ago, the policeman met him and asked him not to testify before the court,” said Meenu Choudhury, deputy commissioner of police (northwest). “When he said he was being threatened, we registered a case and arrested the accused,” Choudhury added.

Things went awry between the two families after Monica — who belonged to the Gujjar community — eloped with Kuldeep, who hailed from a Rajput background, in 2006.

The inter-caste marriage had brought censure to both families and forced the couple to move away from their native Wazirpur village in northwest Delhi. On the request of the accused and in what seems like a conspiracy, the couple was asked to shift to Wazirpur village again. On June 20, the accused first killed Monica and then shot Kuldeep in his car.

It was their wedding anniversary. Police said that Monica’s brother decided to kill the couple after his friends mocked him that his sister had brought shame to the family by marrying Kuldeep.