Dwarka murder: Victim approached police with rape complaint against cop

The 25-year-old aspiring crime reporter, Nikki Chauhan met Vijender Verma on her first ever visit to a police station during her early days in the field. She was young, inquisitive and thrilled to be reporting on crime cases.

The 25-year-old aspiring crime reporter, Nikki Chauhan met Vijender Verma on her first ever visit to a police station during her early days in the field. She was young, inquisitive and thrilled to be reporting on crime cases.

Nikita, a former news stringer who was allegedly shot dead by a Delhi Police sub-inspector, Vijender Verma. (Sonu Mehta/ Hindustan Times)

For her, Vijender was a top cop. Dressed in uniform with a revolver tucked under his belt, sharp enough to join clues while investigating murder, rape and robbery cases and strong enough to put the culprits behind bars. The two started talking, became friends and eventually fell in love.

The couple moved in together in an apartment in Uttam Nagar in 2012 and decided that they would soon marry.

He was so much in love, that he would take leave from work to take Nikki out and preferred staying home with her despite several warnings from the department asking him to join work.

Things were going on well for the couple till Nikki found out that Vijender had a wife and two kids living in Rajasthan — a fact he hid from her and decided to report the matter to his superior officers.

Policemen at the DDA Park in Dwarka where the crime took place on Sunday.

After the episode, Virender assured Nikki that he would marry her soon and divorce his wife. However, his family did not support his decision.

“Vijender belonged to a conservative family and when he spoke of divorcing his wife and leaving his children, to his father, he did not agree to it,” sources said.

While Vijender did not get any support from his immediate family, Nikki kept pressuring him to file for divorce and marry her. The couple often fought over the issue and Vijender moved out from the Uttam Nagar apartment and went to stay with his father. This irked Nikki further and she threatened to get him arrested by approaching higher authorities.

On the other end, Vijender’s wife had also filed a case of dowry harassment against him in Jhajjar.

“He became mentally disturbed and remained on leave most of the times. A written notice warning initiation of a departmental enquiry against him was also issued against him,” sources revealed.

A series of arguments, fights and heated verbal exchanges with Nikki ended at the DDA Park in Dwarka, where Vijender shot Nikita dead by pumping three of the 10 bullets he got issued in his name at the pretext of chasing robbers on Sunday morning from the armoury unit at Ranhola police station, before shooting himself.