It’s either the inefficiency of the Delhi police or deliberate delaying tactics that helped former Haryana Minister Gopal Goyal Kanda to evade arrest, even after five days of a case of abetment of suicide being registered against him. Failure to arrest Kanda has raised questions on the seriousness of the Delhi police effort. Geetika Sharma, who worked with MDLR Airlines as an air hostess, committed suicide blaming Kanda of harassing her.
Despite the fact that the was seen defending himself on several television channels till Tuesday, the Delhi police, on the pretext of collecting enough evidence, delayed his arrest until he absconded on Wednesday. Sources said some suspect that Kanda may have left the country.
‘Arrest of co-accused Aruna Chadha clearly shows the lack of will on the part of Delhi police to arrest Kanda. It seems to be a deliberate inaction,’ a senior Delhi police officer said. Besides, sources said Kanda’s ‘colourful’ lifestyle is not a secret even in the police circles. ‘He was planning to launch a TV channel, and a few years ago, he had bought Park Plaza hotel in Gurgaon. Besides, DGCA officials used to visit his farmhouse in Gurgaon regularly,’ they said.
Reportedly, Delhi police senior police officers have been informing the media about possible surrendering time of Kanda, which indicates that the cops are in touch with the accused but are not taking any action. The cops, till now, have raided Kanda’s establishments in Delhi, Gurgaon, Sirsa and Goa. They, however, have not been able to track him down.
The 23-year-old Geetika Sharma had committed suicide by hanging herself on a ceiling fan at her residence in Ashok Vihar Phase-III of north-west district in Delhi. The cops had recovered a suicide note from her room, in which she blamed Kanda, chairman of the MDLR Airlines and Aruna Chadda, manager of the airlines for ruining her life. Meanwhile, Geetika’s brother Govind told mediapersons on Friday that Kanda will surrender in court on Monday.
The police official said six teams were searching for Kanda. ‘Sometimes, it takes time to nab a person. He will be caught. Every person has so many places to take shelter,’ the official said, adding that they declared Kanda absconder after he did not come up for questioning despite issuing a notice.
The official said the police received the postmortem report last evening and it would be revealed only after they properly go through it. Meanwhile, there was speculation that Kanda would surrender in a Delhi court on Monday. Asked about this, Kanda’s brother Govind said, ‘Talks are on but what has to be done is not decided yet.’
Meanwhile, it was reported that Kanda is also likely to move the Delhi High Court Monday to seek anticipatory bail, a close associate said. On Thursday, Kanda’s anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by a sessions court that said allegations against him were grave and serious in nature and that his application was without merit.
A close aide said Kanda would file an anticipatory bail application Monday in Delhi High Court. The former Haryana minister’s employee Aruna Chaddha, who was arrested on Wednesday, was sent to police custody till 11 August by another Delhi court. After Kanda’s airline ceased to function in 2009, Geetika was given a job in another company owned by him. She later quit the job, police said.
HOODA WASHES HANDS OFF KANDA
Stating that he was a ‘law abiding citizen’, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said Gopal Goyal Kanda was not part of his government anymore and should join Delhi Police investigations into the suicide of former flight attendant Geetika Sharma. Virtually washing his hands of Kanda, Hooda was evasive about his former minister of state for home.
Saying that Kanda should join the investigations, Hooda said, ‘Every individual should cooperate in the investigation process. He is no longer part of my government.’ Hooda said that Kanda was his minister but has now resigned.
Who is Aruna Chadha?
Aruna Chadha is a divorcee in her late 30s, and has a daughter. She stays with her parents in Gurgaon. In 2006, she worked with Spice Jet as air-hostess trainer but her services were terminated. Later, she joined MDLR airlines. Bollywood starlet Nupur mehta has claimed that Chadha was very unfriendly with the employees. In 2008, when the airlines was shut, Chadha was dubiously shifted to a higher position.
FRESH RAIDS IN SIRSA
sirsa: Delhi police carried out fresh raids at the residence of absconding former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, who is wanted in air hostess Geetika Sharma’s suicide case.
A police party headed by ACP Shailender Singh entered the former minister’s Rania Road house around 10.30 pm last night, officials said on Friday. This is the second such raid within 24 hours at the sprawling mansion of Kanda.
As the team that carried out the raid on Wednesday night was an all-male contingent and might have faced difficulty in questioning the women present in the Kanda residence, a woman constable was also part of the party. The team remained inside the premises for almost 20 minutes.
Despite the fact that the was seen defending himself on several television channels till Tuesday, the Delhi police, on the pretext of collecting enough evidence, delayed his arrest until he absconded on Wednesday. Sources said some suspect that Kanda may have left the country.
‘Arrest of co-accused Aruna Chadha clearly shows the lack of will on the part of Delhi police to arrest Kanda. It seems to be a deliberate inaction,’ a senior Delhi police officer said. Besides, sources said Kanda’s ‘colourful’ lifestyle is not a secret even in the police circles. ‘He was planning to launch a TV channel, and a few years ago, he had bought Park Plaza hotel in Gurgaon. Besides, DGCA officials used to visit his farmhouse in Gurgaon regularly,’ they said.
Reportedly, Delhi police senior police officers have been informing the media about possible surrendering time of Kanda, which indicates that the cops are in touch with the accused but are not taking any action. The cops, till now, have raided Kanda’s establishments in Delhi, Gurgaon, Sirsa and Goa. They, however, have not been able to track him down.
The 23-year-old Geetika Sharma had committed suicide by hanging herself on a ceiling fan at her residence in Ashok Vihar Phase-III of north-west district in Delhi. The cops had recovered a suicide note from her room, in which she blamed Kanda, chairman of the MDLR Airlines and Aruna Chadda, manager of the airlines for ruining her life. Meanwhile, Geetika’s brother Govind told mediapersons on Friday that Kanda will surrender in court on Monday.
The police official said six teams were searching for Kanda. ‘Sometimes, it takes time to nab a person. He will be caught. Every person has so many places to take shelter,’ the official said, adding that they declared Kanda absconder after he did not come up for questioning despite issuing a notice.
The official said the police received the postmortem report last evening and it would be revealed only after they properly go through it. Meanwhile, there was speculation that Kanda would surrender in a Delhi court on Monday. Asked about this, Kanda’s brother Govind said, ‘Talks are on but what has to be done is not decided yet.’
Meanwhile, it was reported that Kanda is also likely to move the Delhi High Court Monday to seek anticipatory bail, a close associate said. On Thursday, Kanda’s anticipatory bail plea was dismissed by a sessions court that said allegations against him were grave and serious in nature and that his application was without merit.
A close aide said Kanda would file an anticipatory bail application Monday in Delhi High Court. The former Haryana minister’s employee Aruna Chaddha, who was arrested on Wednesday, was sent to police custody till 11 August by another Delhi court. After Kanda’s airline ceased to function in 2009, Geetika was given a job in another company owned by him. She later quit the job, police said.
HOODA WASHES HANDS OFF KANDA
Stating that he was a ‘law abiding citizen’, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday said Gopal Goyal Kanda was not part of his government anymore and should join Delhi Police investigations into the suicide of former flight attendant Geetika Sharma. Virtually washing his hands of Kanda, Hooda was evasive about his former minister of state for home.
Saying that Kanda should join the investigations, Hooda said, ‘Every individual should cooperate in the investigation process. He is no longer part of my government.’ Hooda said that Kanda was his minister but has now resigned.
Who is Aruna Chadha?
Aruna Chadha is a divorcee in her late 30s, and has a daughter. She stays with her parents in Gurgaon. In 2006, she worked with Spice Jet as air-hostess trainer but her services were terminated. Later, she joined MDLR airlines. Bollywood starlet Nupur mehta has claimed that Chadha was very unfriendly with the employees. In 2008, when the airlines was shut, Chadha was dubiously shifted to a higher position.
FRESH RAIDS IN SIRSA
sirsa: Delhi police carried out fresh raids at the residence of absconding former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, who is wanted in air hostess Geetika Sharma’s suicide case.
A police party headed by ACP Shailender Singh entered the former minister’s Rania Road house around 10.30 pm last night, officials said on Friday. This is the second such raid within 24 hours at the sprawling mansion of Kanda.
As the team that carried out the raid on Wednesday night was an all-male contingent and might have faced difficulty in questioning the women present in the Kanda residence, a woman constable was also part of the party. The team remained inside the premises for almost 20 minutes.