New Delhi, March 10 The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested the main contractor hired by the Delhi Jal Board, Himanshu Gupta, in connection with the Janakpuri pit death incident following a relentless manhunt. A team of the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the West District apprehended Gupta from Udaipur in Rajasthan, early in the morning, from where he had been hiding. Police officials said he is currently being brought to Delhi for further investigation.
The arrest comes amid an ongoing probe into the death of 25-year-old Kamal Dhyani, who fell into an unsecured excavation pit of the Delhi Jal Board along with his motorbike in West Delhi’s Janakpuri earlier this year.
Earlier, on February 28, a Delhi court dismissed the bail plea of labourer Yogesh, who has been charged in the case. The court observed that the accused attempted to conceal the site rather than make efforts to save the victim.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Harjot Singh Aujla of the Dwarka Courts, while passing the order, emphasised that Yogesh chose to inform his employer about the incident before attempting any rescue, which created an impression of conscious suppression rather than helplessness.
The court stated that its concern was not merely the presence of an uncovered pit but the deliberate conduct of the accused after noticing Dhyani’s body inside it. “Prima facie, the material indicates that instead of raising an alarm, seeking help, or making any sincere effort to save the victim, the applicant prioritised informing his employer and subsequently attempted to cover the site,” the court observed.
According to the investigation, Dhyani fell into the 4.5-foot-deep pit around 12.15 A.M. on February 6 while returning home from a call centre in Rohini. Police said he remained in the pit for nearly eight hours, even though at least six individuals were aware of the incident but failed to inform the authorities.
Sub-contractor Rajesh Kumar Prajapati and labourer Yogesh were earlier arrested for allegedly refusing to help recover Dhyani’s body despite knowing about the incident. Police said Yogesh informed Prajapati after which the two allegedly attempted to hide their mistake of not placing barricades around the excavation site.
Investigators also revealed that Himanshu Gupta and Kavish Gupta, directors of the company hired by the Delhi Jal Board, were informed about the incident about an hour later by Prajapati. However, they allegedly ignored the information and fled.
The anticipatory bail pleas of the Gupta brothers were earlier rejected by both the trial court and the Delhi High Court. Police said further investigation in the case is ongoing.
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