Karuna’s murderer shut shop after tiff with her father

The man who stalked Karuna,22 and stabbed her in north Delhi’s Burari area on Tuesday morning, once owned a mobile recharge shop adjacent to the young woman’s shop in Burari.

sohil.sehran@hindustantimes.com

Karuna’s family and friends block the road outside Sushruta Trauma Centre on Tuesday (Raj K Raj/HT Photo)

The man who stalked Karuna,22 and stabbed her in north Delhi’s Burari area on Tuesday morning, once owned a mobile recharge shop adjacent to the young woman’s shop in Burari. Surender Singh,34, who has been arrested for the murder had reportedly had a tiff with Karuna’s father after which he shut shop. Locals said that Singh regularly visited the neighbourhood even after his shop shut down. He had many friends to meet.

Singh’s shop Malik communications was always teeming with customers. A local told HT that while Singh had shut shop one and a half year ago, Karuna’s father had also closed within 6 months.

On Tuesday as images of the stabbing captured by a CCTV on camera flashed on television, locals say they were shocked to know that Singh was a murderer.

Vimla Devi, who lives opposite to Singh’s closed shop, said, “I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was always polite and respected others. I don’t know what circumstances led him to stab the young woman.”

Raghuveer Singh, a shopkeeper who said he knew Singh well said after closing his mobile recharge shop, Singh had opened a computer learning centre in the main market of Labour Chowk Burari. The computer center was closed within months.

“Surender Singh was disowned by his father. He was the only son and he did not have a healthy relationship with his wife. Now we know why he may not have had a good relation with his wife,” Raghuveer said.

Raghuveer also said that over the last three months, he had seen Singh wandering in the market, when he had no shop or business there.

PROTESTS IN BURARI 

On Wednesday, over a hundred of people gathered at the market and outside the Burari police station to protest the young woman’s killing. The protesters started a march from Karuna’s house and blocked traffic for close to three hours. They vandalised the boards outside the shops in the market.

Some protesters also alleged that Singh was making a video on his phone after stabbing Karuna over 20 times with a scissor.

Raghavan who claims to have caught Singh said, “ I was at the market, when somebody told me that a man is stabbing a woman. Some of us ran and caught hold on him. Had locals intervened immediately she could have been saved. He was making video and we immediately pounced on him,” said a Raghvan.

Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued a notice to police over the incident.

“I met the mother and other family members of the woman. They have alleged that the girl had submitted a written complaint against the said accused to Burari Police Station in the first week of May,” the notice issued to Joint Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Singh read.

“..However, it is alleged that the police did not take any action against the culprit as the father of the man is retired Delhi Police officer and he used his clout to prevent any action against his son. This inaction, they have alleged further emboldened the man to carry out the heinous act,” reads her notice.

Maliwal in her notice has asked the police for copy of complaint the woman submitted at the police station and the report of the follow up action, if any.