Kanjhawala Hit & Drag: Accused Knew Woman Was Trapped Under Car, Driver Was Drunk, Says Charge Sheet

The police charge sheet in the Kanjhawala hit and drag case in Delhi says that the accused were aware that the woman was trapped under their car and they did not make any effort to save her life. It also notes that the accused were identified from CCTV footage. 

On the New Year's Day, a car hit a woman on a scooter and dragged her for more than 12 kilometres from Sultanpur to Kanjhawala in Delhi. The woman died from her injuries. She was identified as 20-year-old Anjali Singh. 

The Delhi Police filed the charge sheet in the case on April 1. Four of seven accused were slapped with murder charge despite the 

Anjali's death led to outrage over the nature of the incident and questions over lack of police action. Delhi Police faced questions about its public presence and response and the woman was dragged for 12 kms and no police personnel spotted or intercepted the car in the stretch. 

Now two weeks after the charge sheet was filed, PTI has cited its contents to report that the identity of four accused was established based on CCTV footage, statements of witnesses and other scientific evidence. According to the final report, the evidence proved the presence of the four accused --Amit Khanna, Krishan, Manoj Mittal and Mithun-- in the car.   

Forensic evidence in charge sheet

The charge sheet cited the statements of six eyewitnesses, including the victim's friend, the person who informed police about the body, an autorickshaw driver, and a person who was in the car with the four accused but was dropped at Sultanpuri before the incident.

It said the CCTV footage revealed crucial evidence, such as the presence of all the accused at a dhaba before the incident and in Rohini Sector 1 after.

"It has also been revealed by the footage that the accused knew that the victim was entangled... The accused didn't try to save the life of the woman. After getting back in the car, they intentionally dragged her for a long distance to kill her," the charge sheet claimed.

It stated that the DNA profile generated from the strands of hairs recovered from the car matched with the profile generated from the blood samples of Khanna, Mittal and Krishan.

Also, the DNA profile generated from the blood spots present on the clothes of the accused matched with that generated from the blood sample of the victim, the charge sheet stated.

DNA profiles generated from the exhibits recovered from the spot along with those lifted from the car, the cloth of the victim and from the clothes of Manoj Mittal, Mithun and Krishan were found similar to the DNA profile generated from the blood on gauze, the charge sheet said.

"A forensic science laboratory team lifted the blood in gauze from the offending car and the spot where the body of the deceased was found. DNA profile thus prepared matched with the DNA profile prepared from the blood in gauze preserved during the post-mortem of the deceased," the charge sheet said.

Accused drove without licence, was drunk

The report said that the owner of the vehicle, Ashutosh Bhardwaj, voluntarily permitted his car to be driven by Amit Khanna, who did not have a valid driving licence. Also, Khanna's blood test revealed the presence of alcohol above the permissible limit, it said.

"During the interrogation, Ashutosh disclosed that when he came to know about the incident and that the person driving the car did not possess a valid driving licence, he, Ankush and other accused planned to plant another person possessing a valid driving licence as the driver of the offending car at the time of the incident," the charge sheet said.

"Ashutosh helped in the disappearance of the evidence of offence and gave false information to shield the accused," it said. 

Eight involved in case so far

Police arrested Deepak Khanna (26), Amit Khanna (25), Krishan (27), Mithun (26), and Manoj Mittal in the case on January 2. 

Co-accused Ashutosh Bhardwaj and Ankush, were earlier given bail by the court, while the bail plea of Deepak Khanna was rejected by a sessions court.

Amit Khanna, Krishan, Mithun and Manoj Mittal have been accused of murder, while Amit Khanna and Ashutosh were booked under the Motor Vehicles Act.

It said all the accused were booked for the offences of criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, harbouring offender, common intention and false information with an intent to cause a public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person.

Delhi Police has levelled additional charges against Amit Khanna for the offences of rash driving and causing hurt by an act endangering the life or personal safety of others.

What we know of the case

In the early hours of the New Year's Day in Delhi, a car hit 20-year-old Anjali Singh who was on her scooter. The car then dragged her for around 12 kms from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala. Her naked body was found in Delhi's Kanjhawala area. 

Special Commissioner (Law and Order) Sagar Preet Hooda earlier said Amit does not have a driving license and after he informed Ankush about the accident, his brother convinced Deepak, who is a Gramin Seva driver, to tell police that he was behind the wheel on the fateful day. 

Hooda also said Ashutosh and Ankush were not in the car. Ashutosh also misled the police by claiming that Deepak took the car when it was Amit, who had taken the car, said Hooda, adding Deepak also happens to be Amit and Ankush's cousin.

The autopsy of Anjali also showed no sign of sexual assault. Earlier, a video purportedly showing the woman's body without clothes and broken legs had surfaced on social media. The footage has led to claims that the victim was raped and killed but police said it was an accident. 

However, the preliminary autopsy report has showed no indication of sexual assault, according to Delhi Police. Sources told PTI there were no injury marks on her private parts.

Doctors of the Maulana Azad Medical College board who carried out the autopsy opined that the provisional cause of death was "shock and haemorrhage" as a result of pre-death injury "to the head, spine, left femur, and lower limbs".

"All injuries collectively can cause death in the ordinary course of nature. However, injury to the head, spine, long bone and other injuries can cause death independently and collectively in the ordinary course of nature. All injuries produced by blunt force impact and possible with vehicular accident and dragging," says their opinion in the preliminary report.

The Delhi Police said the full report will be received in due course of time. The doctors said they would be able to offer a final opinion after the receipt of chemical analysis and biological sample reports.

(With PTI inputs)