Bihar judge among key witnesses in the October 13 double murder case

The police said the testimony of five key witnesses, of the total 81 named in the charge sheet, will be crucial for the case.

The 500-page charge sheet filed against 32-year-old suspended head constable Mahipal Singh, who was arrested for allegedly killing the wife and son of his protectee, additional sessions judge Krishan Kant, at Arcadia Market on October 13, reveals the police are relying on 81 witnesses, including a judge from Bihar, to prove the charges.

File photo of Personal security officer (PSO) Mahipal Singh (in white shirt) at Gurugram court, on October 14, 2018. He is accused of killing the wife and son of his protectee, additional sessions judge Krishan Kant. (Yogendra Kumar/HT File)

Shamsher Singh ACP (crime) said they “have built a watertight case against Singh”, who is currently lodged in the Bhondsi jail. He was arrested hours after he allegedly shot Kant’s wife Ritu Garg, 38, and son Dhruv, 18.

The police said the testimony of five key witnesses, of the total 81 named in the charge sheet, will be crucial for the case. “The most important of these witnesses is a judge from Bihar who was present at the crime scene at the time of the shooting and had recorded it on his cellphone,” ACP Singh said. The judge later shared the video with the police.

In the video recorded by the judge (whose name cannot be revealed as is required under the Witness Protection Act), the accused was seen dragging Dhruv into a car after the shooting and driving away from the crime scene after failing to do so, the officers said.

The judge, who was visiting Gurugram, was shopping at the market when he heard the sound of gunshots and came out to check its source, the charge sheet states.

Investigators have also relied on the dying declaration of the judge’s wife, a CCTV footage, videos of the incident shared on the social media by bystanders, a ballistic expert’s report, recoveries and eyewitness accounts.

Another important witness in the case is a shopkeeper, who, the police said, allegedly witnessed the incident.

“The prosecution has called seven witnesses to record their statements on the first day of the trial, February 1,” public prosecutor Anurag Hooda said .

In the final investigation report submitted on December 26, the police listed as witnesses doctors from Paras Hospital where the injured were first taken, doctors from Medanta Hospital where the victims succumbed, forensic experts and police personnel associated with the investigation.

The report concludes that Mahipal allegedly shot the two after an argument over handing the car keys.

To establish the case, the police have presented circumstantial and forensic evidence, key among them being the gunpowder residue on Mahipal’s hand and on the car’s steering wheel, cellphone location of the accused and the victims, details of the phone call made by the accused to the judge after the incident and compilation of numerous videos that surfaced on the social media.

A forensic report later confirmed that this sample matched with the gunpowder on the weapon that was used for the crime. Call details of the accused and victims show that all of them were present in the same place at the same time, the police said.