The Hindu : New Delhi News : Nithari killings: Simranjeet Kaur remanded to judicial custody

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Friday, Mar 23, 2007
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New Delhi

Nithari killings: Simranjeet Kaur remanded to judicial custody

Devesh K. Pandey

She was arrested for allegedly accepting bribes to favour the accused

NEW DELHI: Simranjeet Kaur, former in charge of the Nithari police post who was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly accepting bribes to favour Moninder Singh and his servant Surender Koli in a case pertaining to abduction, criminal assault and murder of a young woman last year, was sent to seven days of judicial custody on Thursday.

Simranjeet was produced in the court of Ghaziabad Special Judicial Magistrate Sapna Mishra who sent her to judicial custody till March 29, the day fixed for the first hearing on the charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Moninder, Surender and Simranjeet in the case of abduction, criminal assault and murder of Payal.

In the absence of eyewitness, the CBI would bank heavily on scientific evidence to prove the guilt of the accused in the case.

At a press conference here on Thursday, CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar thanked forensic scientists and mental health experts for their contribution to the investigations. He said in the initial stages of the investigation, the agency contacted a South African expert on serial killings who provided vital inputs on the pattern of murders and the modus operandi of such criminals.

Forensic experts at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences reconstructed 19 partial skeletons based on the anatomical compatibility, from the skeletal remains recovered from the drain adjoining Moninder's Noida Sector 31 residence.

During the process, Surender - who has allegedly confessed to having committed 16 murders - was shown the skeletons along with some of the belongings of the victims recovered from the drain. "He identified some of the victims," said Mr. Kumar.

On a dead body - used by medical students for dissection - Surender demonstrated with a chalk how he dismembered the bodies after killing the victims. The demonstration has been recorded and may be produced in court.

Apart from scientific evidence, the CBI would depend on the confessional statement given by Surender in a Delhi court. He has purportedly confessed to his involvement in 16 cases of murder.

During interrogation, with the help of clinical psychologists, Surender allegedly disclosed that Moninder used to bring sex workers to the house quite often. According to the CBI, Surender too started bringing women and minors to the house in Moninder's absence. He strangled them and tried to criminally assault them. He then took their bodies to the bathroom on the first floor of the house used exclusively by him. He allegedly cut up the bodies, stuffed them in polythene bags and dumped them in the drain.

On several occasions, neighbours complained to Surender about the foul smell emanating from the house. According to the CBI, Moninder was not in the know of the murders committed by Surender. During interrogation, and also during his narco-analysis test, he purportedly said he trusted Surender and did not believe that he had committed any crime till human remains were recovered from the drain.

Asked how despite living under the same roof Moninder did not know about the murders, the CBI Joint Director said after the Noida police registered a case against him and Surender for allegedly abducting, assaulting and killing Payal, he had approached a private detective to trace her. Nevertheless, the CBI is investigating his role in two cases.

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