City police crime branch takes over murder probe
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Saturday said that the murder case of Mangolpuri resident 25-year-old Rinku Sharma has been transferred to their crime branch that will look into the allegations levelled by his family members and the local police’s theory that the crime was a result of personal enmity.
Sharma, who worked as a lab technician at a private hospital, was stabbed while returning home from a birthday party on Wednesday night.
The murder of the 25-year-old had taken communal colours on Friday, with some leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stating on social media that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The tension that has gripped the neighbourhood since, continued on Saturday with a group of people allegedly attacking the house of one of the suspects despite deployment of extra security personnel to prevent any untoward incidents.
The family of Sharma on Saturday also refuted Delhi Police’s theory of the murder having happened over personal enmity, and stated that Sharma had a tiff with the arrested persons last year because of his links with Hindu groups. Sharma’s brother, Mannu Sharma said his brother was associated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (outer) Sudhanshu Dhama did not comment on Saturday’s mob attack at the suspect’s house despite multiple attempts.
Five persons, identified as Mohammad Danish,36, Mohammad Islam,45, Zahid,26, Mohammad Mehtab,20, and Tajuddin,39, have been arrested in the case, even as Sharma’s family members have alleged that five-six more persons were involved in the killing.
“We are happy that the case has been transferred to the crime branch. Local police cooperated with us but they could not have solved this case. At least a dozen people were involved in my brother’s (Rinku) murder, but only five were arrested. We hope the crime branch will do a fair investigation” said Mannu Sharma.
On Saturday, a crime branch team, along with forensic experts, visited the crime scene, lifted evidence, and met Sharma’s family members. According to Mannu, the crime branch officials took names of the persons involved in his brother’s murder from his family members.
A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the crime branch team will look into all angles related to Sharma’s murder and will once again record the statements of his family members, eyewitnesses, and other people related to the case. It will also examine all the video footage pertaining to the crime.
On Friday, the police had said that Sharma and the accused were known to each other for a long time, and had got into a fight at a party over the shutting down of a mutual friend’s restaurant.
The row escalated and Sharma was stabbed on Wednesday night. Sharma’s family members have, however, maintained that some of the accused had fought with him last August because of his links with Hindu groups.
Some leaders from the BJP — including Kapil Mishra and Delhi unit chief Adesh Gupta — had said on social media on Friday that Sharma was collecting money for construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Mishra even linked the killing to the collection drive, as posts demanding “justice” for Sharma gained traction through the day. Gupta and party MP Hans Raj Hans also visited Sharma’s house, as did AAP MLA Rakhi Birla.