Chandigarh, March 3 Two days after Youth Congress activist Himani Narwal's body was found in a suitcase on a highway in Haryana’s Rohtak, the arrested man, Sachin, on Monday confessed that he knew the deceased and accused her of blackmail and extortion.
Haryana Police arrested the accused, a resident of Bahadurgarh, who was in an alleged relationship with Himani.
The suspect confessed to the crime during interrogation, saying they had been in a relationship for some time, a police official said.
During his arrest in Delhi, Sachin was found in possession of Himani Narwal's mobile phone. The crime hogged the limelight after images of her walking with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Yatra went viral.
The victim’s family, who has been demanding justice, suspected that some party leaders jealous of her swift rise in party ranks were behind the murder.
The woman’s body was found inside a suitcase near a flyover next to the Sampla bus stand in Rohtak on March 1. She had been missing for three days.
According to a preliminary investigation by the police, she was likely assaulted before being strangled to death. The autopsy report conducted in Rohtak’s PGIMS is awaited. She reportedly attended a wedding on February 27 in Rohtak and was supposed to attend a Congress roadshow on February 28. Her cell phone had been switched off since then.
“The government took swift action by arresting the killer within 24 hours,” said state Transport Minister Anil Vij.
Responding to allegations made by Congress leader Bhupinder Hooda regarding her murder, Vij countered by saying, “The government acts with complete promptness and seriousness… Hooda keeps making statements, it’s his habit.”
The victim’s brother, Jatin, said, “One accused has been arrested, and today we will cremate her body. A lot of rumours are being spread in the media... We will get justice.”
The police on Sunday formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajneesh Kumar told the media that the victim, who was pursuing an LLB (Bachelor of Law), used to live alone in the state while her family was in Delhi.
The victim’s mother, on Sunday, blamed the elections and the party. “The election and the party took my daughter's life. Because of this, she made some enemies. They (the accused) could be from the party, or they could be her friends as well...On February 28, she was at home,” the victim’s mother Savita said.
“She was going with Rahul Gandhi and was close to the Hooda family, which is why people were having problems; they were jealous,” she added.
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