Delhi police struggle to crack mystery behind four cases

If statistics are to be believed the crime graph of the National Capital has been more or less the same in comparison to last year, there have been cases which were widely reported but despite efforts of the police officials many cases have remain unsolved. From the murder of a police officer in South Delhi to the molestation case of a teacher in the heart of the National Capital, such cases did grab headlines but have remained unsolved till now. Police officials claim that all possible efforts and measures were undertaken, despite that they have failed to get a breakthrough. In 2018 up to November 30, 2,25,123 cases were reported compared to 2,33,580 cases in 2017.

Following cases have continued to reach to definite conclusion:

Head Constable murdered in Jaitpur

Late on the night of September 11, a head constable of Delhi police, who had stepped out of his house to buy flour from the market, was shot dead by unknown assailants just 200 meters away from his house in South East Delhi's Jaitpur area.

The deceased Ram Awtar Kholwar, a 2003 batch officer was posted at the Ambedkar Nagar police station in South Delhi. He hailed from Karouli in Rajasthan.

Police said they are suspecting the involvement of some known person behind the attack or it could be that Awtar had spotted some persons carrying out suspicious activities in the area. He was shot at when he confronted the assailants. Ramavatar had suffered a bullet injury below his right ribs. "there is no headway since the crime took place after dark and there were no CCTV cameras installed around the spot, police are trying to look for eyewitnesses but have not been able to find any. Several teams have been formed and we are hopeful to arrest the accused soon," said Chinmoy Biswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South- East).

More than 50 people have been rounded up to gather information in the case while an FIR under IPC Section 302 (murder) was registered at Jaitpur police station, police said.

Awtar had arrested around eight proclaimed offenders and contributed to investigations in several important cases. He was survived by his wife and two children aged 10 and 6. His elder brother also works with the Delhi police.

Double murder: Mother, handicapped daughter killed

On September 22, a 65-year-old woman and her 42-year-old handicapped daughter were found dead inside their house in Paschim Vihar. The police has been probing the case from all angles while suspected the role of an unknown acquaintance. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Shashi Talwar lived with her mentally-challenged daughter, Nidhi in the first floor of a building ever since the demise of Shashi's husband. Shashi also has two sons, Vishal and Abhay living in Mumbai and Canada, respectively.

Nidhi's body was found on the bed in the first room. "Her mouth was stuffed with a cloth, her hands tied and a pillow lying nearby on the bed," he said. "Shashi's body was found with her throat slit in the kitchen," a police official said.

"Prima facie it appears that the culprit were known to the family as there were no signs of tussle at the entry gate. We are not ruling out any angle including enmity, burglary attempt, property dispute, etc. Investigation is underway but no arrest has been made so far," said Seju P Kuruvilla, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (Outer).

Woman molested while she was on phone in Connaught Place

On December 1, 2017, a 32-year-old professor had to face a horrendous incident of molestation in Connaught Place (CP), the heart of the national Capital. A man groped her, unzipped his pants, and masturbated in front of her while she was taking a break from her work in a language school in CP.

The woman had gone to the terrace of the building when the incident took place. The accused, who is yet to be arrested, also snatched her phone before fleeing the spot.

According to the complainant, its been more than a year since the incident took place however, the cops have not been able to trace the victim and arrest him. She still recalls the trauma and remembers that during her break as usual, she went to the terrace of the building to smoke. A man in his mid 20s followed her to the terrace but she didn't pay much attention. The accused constantly stared at her while pretending to be on the phone. When she asked him whether there was a problem, he said there wasn't but did not move from the spot. Then he suddenly came in front of her and pointed at her breasts.

She pushed him and threatened to call the police. Instead of feeling deterred, he flashed at her. While she was trying to escape the spot he grabbed her and ejaculated.

"As there no concrete evidence of the man, we have not been able to trace anyone. Even in the CCTV footage seen, it shows that the man following the victim but his face was hidden by a hoodie," said a senior police officer.

St. Stephen’s doctor found murdered in hospital

On August 25, 2017, Shashwat Pande, a radiologist at the St. Stephen's hospital was found dead with his throat slit and multiple stab wounds inside the hospital's CT scan lab. The prime suspect in the case was another doctor Suyash Gupta who had allegedly been stalking the victim for the past two years. 

Gupta was suspended by the hospital as well. Pande had several times complained to the hospital authorities about the behaviour of the accused and harassment he was facing. The accused has allegedly fled to Nepal.

After eight months, the Delhi Police have transferred investigation in the murder case of St. Stephen's doctor Shashwat Pande to the Crime Branch.

However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was handed over the case which the Delhi Police was earlier investigating the case but failed to trace the prime accused, another senior doctor at the hospital, who has been absconding for almost a year now.

The police suspect that he might be hiding in Nepal but admitted that there are no significant clues that he might be living there. However, the Delhi High Court was hearing the petition moved by the parents of Gupta, seeking his whereabouts.

The police have hiked the reward amount for any information on Gupta, from Rs 50,000 to Rs1 lakh.