Gurugram serial killer’s family left city fearing mob violence, moved back to village in Jhansi

According to the family members of Sunil Kumar, their neighbours, upon learning of Kumar’s arrest on November 20, allegedly barged into their shanty and asked them to leave the area. The family had called the police, fearing mob action, but was advised by the police to go to their village for safety reasons.

The family of Sunil Kumar (23), who is accused of raping and murdering 15 minor girls in Gurugram, Gwalior and Jhansi, said on Tuesday that they had to vacate their shanty in Gurugram and move to their village in Jhansi as they feared for their safety.

The family members of Sunil Kumar, accused of raping and murdering a three-year-old in Gurugram, said they did not have time to collect any belongings or even change clothes once the news broke out and had to leave the city immediately. (Parveen Kumar / HT Photo)

According to the family members, their neighbours, upon learning of Kumar’s arrest on November 20, allegedly barged into their shanty and asked them to leave the area. The family had called the police, fearing mob action, but was advised by the police to go to their village for safety reasons.

“We did not even have time to pack our belongings. We did not get a chance to change clothes and had to leave within minutes, in the same clothes we were wearing. The neighbours did not let us pick our stuff and dragged us out of the hutments,” said Sita, elder sister of the accused.

She said she was scared when people entered their house. Sita, who works as a domestic help, said she called her employers for help but her efforts were in vain.

The police said that a team from the Sector 65 police station had reached the spot and tried to reason with the crowd. “People were threatening to beat them up, alleging that they were also involved in the crime. For half an hour, the team spoke to a section of the slum dwellers and controlled the situation by pacifying them. But what can you do if the rest of them go on a rampage? There were so many people and more kept pouring in. There was so much commotion. The team advised them to leave the area for their safety and security,” said Shamsher Singh, assistant commissioner of police (crime).

The family members of the accused said they didn’t know of Kumar’s involvement in rapes and murders. He never shared anything with them and remained aloof.

“Whenever he visited us, he hardly spoke and remained out for most of the day. He was a daily wager and used to come here to mostly sleep. He sometimes went incommunicado for months,” said Kumar’s brother-in-law.

The family members met Kumar in police custody before leaving the city, but he did not say anything. “I asked him if he had committed the crime but he did not say anything. I cried, but he showed no emotion,” said 53-year-old Lilawati, Kumar’s mother. She said that the police had brought Kumar to the village to recover the clothes he was wearing during Friday’s crime, but they refused to meet him.