A day after a woman’s decomposed body with limbs tied with chains was found near a school in west Delhi, police on Saturday said they have arrested a man in connection with the murder, with the accused claiming that the victim hailed from Switzerland and he had befriended her some years back through a dating app.
The accused, identified as Gurpreet Singh (30), told the police that he killed the woman after asking her to come to India on October 11 as he suspected her of having affairs with other men. He kept the body in a car near his house for two days before dumping it near the school.
Sources said the police have recovered some documents related to a woman belonging to Switzerland’s Zurich which they will verify with the Switzerland Embassy.
Asked specifically if the victim was a resident of Switzerland, DCP (west) Vichitra Veer told PTI that they are still verifying it.
Gurpreet Singh was arrested from his house in Janakpuri in west Delhi where he resides with his parents and sister. On Saturday, he was sent to police custody for four days after being produced before the court.
Delhi Police officials claimed that Rs 2.10 crore cash was recovered from his house after which the Income Tax department was also informed.
According to a police officer, the suspect was arrested based on CCTV footage in which he was seen sitting in a white Hyundai Santro car that was used for dumping the body.
The body of the woman, who was believed to be in her early 30s, was found near the Municipal Corporation of Delhi school on Friday morning with its upper part covered with a black garbage bag. The victim’s limbs were tied with metal chains.
Gurpreet had bought the car earlier this month for Rs 2 lakh from a second-hand car dealer in the name of another woman resident of Janakpuri, police said.
“It is suspected that the accused wanted to mislead the police, that’s why he bought the car in someone else’s name,” said a police officer.
The woman told the police that she was not aware that the car was bought by Gurpreet using her residence proof.
The police recovered the car from Janakpuri late Friday night and subsequently arrested the accused from his house.
Police said Gurpreet was continuously changing his statement and tried to mislead the police with several versions.
He told the police that he befriended the woman through a dating app a few years ago. He would often talk to her over the phone and had also gone to meet her in Switzerland four months ago.
But he suspected that she was having relations with other men. A few days ago, he asked her to come to India to meet him. On October 11, she came from Switzerland to Delhi and stayed in a hotel in West Delhi.
Police said three days ago, he asked her to meet him outside the hotel. “From there he took her towards the Vishnu Garden area where he told her that he wanted to give her a surprise… And he then strangled her to death,” the police said quoting Gurpreet.
He told the police that he tied her hands and legs with chains and kept the body in the car. He also drove with the dead body in the area looking for an opportunity to dump it. When he could not do so, he parked the car near his house, but when the foul smell started emanating, he left the body near the MCD school two days after the murder.
The police said that Gurpreet’s family owns several properties nearby and the recovery of the large amount of cash from his possession was also being investigated.
The police have not found anyone who could identify the woman except Gurpreet. “We have also questioned Gurpreet’s family members,” said an official.
Police said Gurpreet’s questioning and further investigation were still on.
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