Lazy cops didn’t act in time

The arrest of Sumit Handa, 31, who killed his wife, stuffed her body in a bag and burnt it, has exposed the lackadaisical attitude of the police.

The arrest of Sumit Handa, 31, who killed his wife, stuffed her body in a bag and burnt it, has exposed the lackadaisical attitude of the police.

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Handa had filed a missing complaint a week before he was arrested by the crime branch.

A senior officer of the branch said that Handa had said at Pul Prahladpur police station that his wife had gone missing on November 2.

“They didn’t act in time and treated the case like any other missing complaint. The staff of police station had even called Handa for questioning thrice, but he managed to dodge them,” said a source in Delhi Police.

“It was only after a close associate of the victim approached the crime branch that the unit started probing the case and nabbed Handa,” the source added.

In his complaint, Handa claimed that his wife Niranjani — a South Africa resident of Indian descent — gave him tea laced with sedatives, and when he woke up on the morning of November 30, he found his wife missing along with gold jewellery, cash and her clothes.

He said he suspected that she has run away with someone.

Sources said that Handa had gone to his parent’s house in Agra twice after committing the murder. “He is in police custody and we will take him to Haryana, where he dumped the body,” the officer added.