10-year-old ‘insult’ that led to downfall of rugby player
2007, Parmeet Dabas had insulted ‘slapped, abused and humiliated’ one of his friends over a petty issue in the presence of all his friends.
Ten years later, the same friend who had been insulted, led Delhi Police to Dabas — an international rugby player who was wanted in the triple murder case of gangster Bhupender alias Monu Dariyapur and two others.
Dabas was nabbed with a loaded pistol on August 2 from Aruna Asaf Ali road in south Delhi after he arrived there to meet his associate. The information about Dabas’ arrival was shared with the police by his friend whom he had allegedly insulted 10 years ago. Although the friendship continued, the friend could never forget the humiliation and pledged to extract, police said.
Dabas, a rugby player from Delhi’s Kanjhawala village, had represented India in championships in Pakistan in 2005, in Sri Lanka in 2006 and in Uzbekistan in 2015. He is the seventh person to have been arrested in the murder case of Monu, his personal security officer ASI Vijay Kumar of Delhi Police and friend Arun Sethani. The three had been gunned down in outer Delhi’s Mianwali Nagar on April 30 Monu alone sustaining over 20 bullet wounds.
Officers, who were part of the raiding team, told HT that Dabas was shocked when he found himself surrounded by cops in plain clothes. Dabas told officers that he was confident that he will not be arrested since he was taking all precautions to avoid the police. He was neither contacting his family members and relatives nor using mobile phones to contact his close confidants.
However, a police officer said, Dabas did remain in touch with one friend in his circle-of-friends and called that person from phone booths while on the run.
That person, in turn, was also friends with the man Dabas had allegedly insulted.
Investigators say they came across the ‘insider’ while rounding up Dabas’ friends to know about his whereabouts. When this friend was accused of helping Dabas, he volunteered to help police as he wanted revenge.
The friend, on being questioned further, told the police about the humiliating incident. Dabas was part of the Indian rugby team and had already represented India in Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2005 and 2007 respectively. He said that Dabas’s behaviour towards his friends had become rude and aggressive and he did not think twice before insulting and abusing them.
Interrogation of Dabas has revealed that he entered the crime world because his career as a rugby player came to an end after he underwent pancreatic surgery last year. He had taken a loan of ₹25 lakh, which he was unable to repay.
Satyawan alias Sonu Dariyapur, the prime suspect in the triple murder case, offered Dabas monetary help if he helped him in killing his rival Monu.