Gopal Goyal Kanda, the main culprit in Geetika Sharma case has surrenderd and has been arrested in early hours today. Kanda, who was absconding for the past 10 days after police served him a notice to appear before them to join investigations, surfaced at Bharat Nagar police station at 4am.
Kanda was on the run since Aug 8 after Geetika Sharma, 23, accused him and another official of his now-defunct MDLR Airlines, Aruna Chaddha, of harassing her and forcing her to commit suicide. She died on the night of Aug 4-5.
“He (Kanda) surrendered at Ashok Vihar police station around 4 a.m. He has been arrested,” a police official said.
Before entering the police station, he told reporters that he was joining investigations as directed by the Delhi Police.
Delhi Police had conducted over 60 searches and raids in Haryana, Goa and Siliguri in West Bengal, besides questioning around 30 people in connection with the case. His brother Govind Kanda was also arrested on Friday for allegedly helping Kanda evade police.
Kanda’s employee, Aruna Chaddha, a senior functionary with now defunct MDLR airlines, has already been arrested and is in judicial custody in connection with the suicide of 23-year-old air hostess Geetika Sharma, who allegedly took her life on August 5 at her Ashok Vihar residence.
In her suicide note, Geetika had alleged that Kanda and Chaddha were harassing her to rejoin the former minister’s firm after she left the job.
Reacting to Kanda’s surrender, Geetika’s brother Ankit said, “This is a planned and well thought out entry. Now my only fear is that the
investigations will be impartial of not. 12 days is enough to destroy evidence. Whatever power Kanda could have used to tamper with evidence he has. The investigation should be transparent.”
Ankit Sharma said his sister was being constantly mentally harassed by Kanda and his colleague Aruna Chadha.
“All we hope is that the interrogation happens unbiased. Police must look into how badly the evidence has been tampered with and punish the perpetrators,” Sharma told reporters.
“I want his interrogation to be done before camera and a retired judge so that he does not change his statement,” he said.
Ankit said Geetika’s Facebook account has been deactivated and alleged that Kanda was behind it.
“I have informed the DCP about it. I don’t know who or how it was done. Kanda is behind it,” he said.
He also alleged that the Haryana Government is supporting Kanda.
While Kanda’s brother Govind informed the police about the possibility of his surrender, it was after hours of drama Friday night that the former Haryana minister surrendered.
The anticipatory bail plea of Kanda was dismissed by the Delhi High Court yesterday which said that despite being a “free man” he himself did not file it and it was a “sufficient” ground for its rejection.
The court also came down heavily on Delhi Police for not pressing its plea before the magisterial court to search his premises in Haryana.
Kanda, who was forced to resign as minister of state for home and urban local bodies in Haryana in the face of public outcry over Geetika’s suicide, was booked for abetment to suicide by Delhi Police.