Ten days after 27-year-old model Divya Pahuja was shot dead inside a hotel in Gurugram, the city police detained Balraj Gill, one of the accused who allegedly disposed of her body, from the Kolkata airport, on Thursday, 11 January.
When was he nabbed? According to ACP (Crime) Varun Dahiya, Gill was nabbed at around 6 pm on Thursday from the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in West Bengal.
"Balraj Gill was detained with the help of West Bengal police while he was boarding a flight from Kolkata. Our team (Gurugram Police) has reached Kolkata and efforts are being made to get a transit remand and shift the accused," Dahiya told The Quint.
While another accused Ravi Banga is still absconding, the Gurugram police is yet to recover the body of Divya Pahuja, officials said.
What Happened? On 2 January, Divya Pahuja, an accused in the 'fake encounter' of gangster Sandeep Gadoli, was shot dead at Hotel City Point in Gurugram. Four people, including the main accused Abhijeet Singh, were arrested in connection with the murder.
The detention of Gill comes a day after the Gurugram police issued look-out circulars (LOCs) against Gill and Ravi Banga – both of whom allegedly carried Divya's body in a BMW car and disposed of the body in Punjab's Patiala after she was shot dead by Singh.
What did the police say? On 5 January, the Gurugram police said it had recovered the car used to dispose of the body.
Speaking to The Quint, ACP (Crime) Dahiya said that both Banga and Gill were absconding since the murder.
"The accused had gone missing after abandoning his car near the Patiala bus stand. Banga and Gill were in Howrah together and parted ways as they had different plans. We will be interrogating Gill once he reaches Gurugram."ACP (Crime) Dahiya to The Quint
When asked why Divya's body was yet to be recovered, police officials said, "Efforts are underway. We are searching along the Punjab canal."
Meanwhile, on 9 January, the police arrested a 20-year-old woman who allegedly helped the accused dispose of the murder weapon.
According to the police, the woman, identified as Megha, works as a delivery executive and is a resident of Mitraon Extension in New Delhi's Najafgarh.
In a press conference, ACP (Crime) Varun Dahiya said she knew Abhijeet Singh through an old friend. During the questioning, Megha revealed that she allegedly helped Singh dispose of the weapon as well as the victim's personal belongings.
What's the motive? According to a preliminary inquiry, Pahuja was allegedly blackmailing Abhijeet Singh with a few objectionable pictures of him, on the basis of which she had been extorting money, officials had earlier told The Quint.
However, in the FIR, Divya's sister Naina Pahuja claimed that the murder was connected to the 2016 'fake encounter' case of gangster Sandeep Gadoli, in which the former was an accused.
“Divya was the main witness in the Sandeep Gadoli murder case, and we have full surety that Sandeep Gadoli’s sister Sudesh Kataria and his brother Brahm Prakash gave money to Abhijeet Singh for the murder of Divya."Naina Pahuja claimed in the FIR.
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