Panipat: Gangster Dinesh Karla, the main accused in the murder of Harshita, was brought from Jhajjar jail by Panipat Police on a production warrant. Presented before the local court on Friday, the accused was remanded to four days of police custody. During initial questioning, the accused admitted to plotting Harshita's murder. Karla, who is related to Harshita as her brother-in-law (jija), allegedly conspired to have her killed while sitting in jail, arranging for members of his gang to carry out the murder. Three CIA teams are currently raiding various locations to apprehend the absconding co-accused, and police say the arrests are expected soon.
Karla is an accused with a long criminal record β cases of murder, rape and dacoity have been registered against him across the districts of Jind, Jhajjar, Sonipat and Delhi. Panipat Superintendent of Police Rahul Sharma briefed the media at his office on Friday, explaining that on 17 October, unidentified attackers shot dead Sanjar Geeta, alias Harshita, a resident of Gali No. 10, Swatantra Nagar, Narela, Delhi, near village Chamrara under the jurisdiction of Israna police station. On learning of the incident, police rushed to the scene, took custody of the body and sent it for post-mortem to Civil Hospital, Panipat. Pradeep, a resident of Rohdhana, Sonipat, who was travelling with Harshita in the car at the time of the attack, filed a complaint on the basis of which a case was registered against unknown assailants under sections 302 and 34 of the IPC and sections 25-54-59 of the Arms Act, and legal proceedings began.
Harshita's elder sister Lata went to Israna police station and accused her husband, Dinesh, a resident of Birender Nagar, Karala, Delhi, of the murder. In her statement to police, Lata said she married Dinesh in 2012; some time after the wedding, a dispute arose between them, following which she moved back to her parents' home in Swatantra Nagar, Delhi, to live with her mother Premo Devi and her sister Harshita. In 2014, Dinesh allegedly raped her sister Harshita β a case was registered against him at Kanjhawala police station in Delhi on their mother's complaint. After that, Dinesh reportedly began threatening Lata not to testify against him in the case.
Then, on 17 December 2014, Dinesh allegedly shot and killed their mother at her home β a case was registered against Dinesh in Delhi on Harshita's complaint. Following that killing, Dinesh kept pressuring Harshita not to testify against him in court, and had threatened her again roughly six or seven months before her death. Police say Dinesh got his associates to shoot Harshita dead on 17 October.
At the time of the murder, Harshita had attended a personal function in village Chamrara and was travelling by car with three friends towards village Pugthala. About two kilometres from Chamrara, a black car carrying two men blocked their path from behind. The occupants ordered the three companions to leave the area, saying their quarrel was only with Harshita. They then pulled Harshita from the vehicle, shot her dead with a pistol, and fled the scene.
Karla was brought from Jhajjar jail to Panipat on a production warrant and presented before the local court on Friday, where he was remanded to four days of police custody. In initial questioning, the accused admitted to orchestrating Harshita's murder. He told police that Harshita had two cases β of rape and of murder β registered against him at Kanjhawala and Narela police stations in Delhi, in both of which she was the key witness. Because she was due to testify against him in court, he had his associates kill her. Police say his accomplices in the killing have also been involved with him in several other cases.
SP Rahul Sharma said the accused, Dinesh, operates as a professional contract-style criminal, with twelve prior cases of murder, robbery and dacoity registered against him across Delhi, Sonipat, Jhajjar and Jind. He has so far named four associates involved in the murder; CIA teams are conducting raids at multiple locations to arrest them, and police expect the remaining accused to be apprehended shortly.