Divya Pahuja murder: Ex-model's body was still in hotel when police first visited it, claim sources
Gurugram, Jan 5: Hours after ex-model Divya Pahuja was shot dead in a Gurugram hotel, police responded to a call and visited the hotel and returned after checking room number 114, while the body was lying in another room, police sources said Friday.
The 27-year-old woman was taken to Hotel City Point on Tuesday by five people and allegedly shot dead inside room number 111, they said.
While Divya's body is yet to be recovered, on Friday, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), which will be led by ACP crime Varun Dahiya, was formed to probe the case, police said. The team will work under the supervision of DCP Crime Vijay Pratap Singh.
According to the sources, the main accused hotel owner Abhijit Singh revealed that Divya was shot dead in the hotel at 5 pm on Tuesday.
He called Anup, to whom the hotel was given on lease, for help but Anup informed the police about the murder at 9 pm, they said.
After getting information, police reached the spot and returned after checking room number 114 while Divya's body was lying in room number 111, the sources said.
Taking advantage of this, Abhijit asked his friends Balraj Gill and Ravi Bandra for help in disposing of the body. In a CCTV footage, Abhijit can be seen fleeing the hotel in a blue BMW car with Divya's body in the boot, they said.
Later, Anup again called the police at 11 pm on which the police took a serious note. After examining the CCTV footage, the murder was revealed but by then the suspects had fled with the body.
The footage shows the suspects, including Abhijit, purportedly dragging her body wrapped in a white sheet through the hotel lobby to the BMW car, police had said.
The BMW car was found abandoned at a bus stand in Punjab's Patiala, however, the former model's body is yet to be recovered, the Gurugram Police said in a statement on Thursday evening.
Till now, Abhijit, Hemraj and Omprakash have been arrested while two others, including Gill, are still at large, police said.
Sandeep Gadoli, a dreaded gangster from Gurugram, was killed in a shootout in Mumbai on February 6, 2016. Later, the Mumbai police said Gadoli had been lured into a trap with the help of his "girlfriend" Divya and killed in a fake encounter.
Virendra Kumar alias Binder Gujjar ran a rival gang and allegedly conspired with Haryana Police officials to eliminate Gadoli. Gujjar was in prison at the time of the encounter, but he hatched the conspiracy with the help of his brother Manoj and roped in Divya as a honey trap.
An FIR was registered against five police personnel, Divya, her mother and others.
The Bombay High Court had granted bail to Divya in June last year, about seven years after she was arrested.
Police are probing the case from three angles blackmail, roles of gangster Gadoli's family, and Gujjar's involvement.
DCP Crime Singh said the revelations made by Abhijit are being verified and he is also being interrogated about Divya.
Abhijit claims that he killed Divya because she was blackmailing him, he said.
"We are also interrogating Hemraj and Om Prakash and trying to connect the entire sequence of events that took place on January 2. Divya's mobile has also been sent to Diatec Lab for testing," the DCP said.
"Our teams are continuing to raid suspect places and hope the body of the deceased will be recovered soon," he said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
