Mutilated body of 'missing' Haryanvi singer found, two arrested
The Haryana Police found the body of a singer in Rohtak on Sunday evening. Identified as Sangeeta, the Haryanvi singer used to reside in Delhi and was missing for 12 days. Her body was mutilated and subsequently buried near a highway. She was last seen on May 11, three days after which her family lodged an abduction complaint. Two have been arrested so far.
This is what Meham Police said
In an official statement, the Meham Police Station's SI Vikas said, "We received a mutilated body last evening (Sunday), it couldn't be identified. We later found that an FIR u/s 365 IPC was filed in this matter at Jaffarpur PS, Delhi." It seemed Sangeeta was strangled to death, he added. Reportedly, the victim "had no clothes on except her underwear" when she was found.
Two accused disclosed plan to kill Sangeeta during interrogation
The singer's family had accused two individuals—Ravi and Anil—of kidnapping and murdering her. Later, the duo confessed to having conspired to kill Sangeeta during interrogation, per the Delhi Police. Apparently, they had called her to Bhiwani, Haryana, on the pretext of shooting a music video, after which they drugged and murdered her. Both accused hail from Rohtak's Meham area and knew the victim beforehand.
Deceased previously filed rape case against one accused
Notably, the deceased had filed a rape case against Ravi, who used to be her colleague. The two accused were arrested after conducting several raids on May 21 (Saturday), said Delhi's Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Shankar Choudhary, per The Indian Express. They have been booked under Section 302 (murder) and Section 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Another accused was sent on five-day remand
Working in tandem with the Meham Police, the Delhi Police arrested Anil and sent him to a five-day remand. The singer was identified based on an autopsy that was conducted shortly after the crime was discovered. After the postmortem, the reins of the case will be transferred to the Delhi Police. The body is presently at a medical facility in Rohtak, per ANI.
Complaints of dereliction of duty came up against police
The deceased's family has accused the authorities of not carrying out their duties properly, alleging that although the missing complaint was filed on May 14, the FIR wasn't registered until May 22. "By looking at the body, it seems like she was raped. The conspiracy has been carried out by Ravi; we demand that everyone involved be arrested and hanged," said the deceased's sister.
'Had there been timely action, she would have been alive'
Reportedly, the victim belonged to the Dalit community. On Monday, Dalit activist group Bhim Army joined the family in a protest in front of Delhi's Jaffarpur Police Station, demanding swift action. Bhim Army's chief, Chandrashekhar Azad, wrote on Twitter, "The police kept on misleading the family to save the criminals. Had there been timely action, she would have been alive today."
