Swiss woman murder accused tried to lure other foreign women too with gemstones: Cops
New Delhi (PTI): The 33-year-old Delhi man arrested for allegedly killing a Swiss woman here had promised precious gemstones and offered astrology tricks to other foreign women too to befriend them, police sources said on Thursday.
Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Delhi's Janakpuri, told interrogators he was in touch with multiple foreign women apart from Nina Berger, whose body was found near an MCD-run school on October 20 with limbs tied with a chain.
Singh's father has a business of gemstones and astrology in west Delhi. He is currently believed to be in Paris.
The police suspect Gurpreet Singh learned astrology from his father and used it to lure foreign women. He used the same trick to befriend Berger and lure her to come to India, they suspect.
She came to India on October 11 and stayed in two different hotels in west Delhi. "In the first, she stayed till October 16. Then she shifted to another hotel, where we believe, she stayed before being killed by Gurpreet on October 18. The decomposed body of Berger was recovered from near a school in Tilak Nagar on October 20," a police officer said.
He said Singh's chats with other foreign women have been retrieved from his two mobile phones, but he has deleted his chats with Berger. He has visited foreign countries, including Switzerland, multiple times, the police said.
"There are chats recovered from his mobile phone where he has talked with several women about gemstones and astrology. It is suspect he would lure them for friendship by offering them precious stones or using astrology tricks," the officer said.
The police said they have recovered Berger's iPhone too, but have not been able to unlock it. They are taking the help of cyber experts.
Singh's family owns multiple properties in various parts of Delhi but the trail of huge cash recovered from his house is yet to be investigated.
The police has managed to reach out to the family of Berger in Zurich, via the Embassy of Switzerland. But they said they cannot come to India. Her body has been kept at a mortuary in a west Delhi hospital.
The police wanted the family to come to India for identification, so that the process of postmortem examination could be started. But now the police wait for an NOC (no-objection certificate) from the Swiss Embassy.
Since the identification of the body is a crucial part in investigation, the police plan to take the help of DNA and biometric process.
From the hotel where Berger stayed, the police have recovered a trolley bag carrying articles which are believed to be belonging to her.
The DNA match of the dead body could be done with the recovered articles, an official said.
Berger used to work with a law firm in Switzerland.
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Right to vote under threat, must be made fundamental right: Cong's Jairam Ramesh
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged on Thursday that the right to vote is under threat and the time has come when it should be made a fundamental right for citizens.
Speaking with reporters, Ramesh lashed out at Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying the Election Commission (EC) has never been as compromised as it has been under him.
"The rot started under his predecessor. This man is a player and not a neutral observer," the Congress leader said, slamming Kumar.
Kumar is completely compromised and has become a player in elections, he alleged.
"Home Minister Amit Shah had talked about three Ds -- detect, delete and deport. So we want to know how many non-Indian citizens have been detected, how many have been deleted and how many have been deported," Ramesh said, adding that the right to vote is now under threat.
On opposition parties submitting a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking to move a motion for the CEC's removal, the Congress leader said they will continue to make efforts for Kumar's removal as he is "compromised".
Ramesh also batted for the right to vote to be recognised as a fundamental right.
"I believe that the time has come that the right to vote should be made a fundamental right. It is a statutory right, it is not a fundamental right. Fundamental rights are justiciable," he said.
The former Union minister said this was discussed in the Constituent Assembly, but it was eventually decided that it should be made part of the Constitution.
B R Ambedkar and Jagjivan Ram had warned that in the future, governments might try to disenfranchise voters, he added.
"Once and for all, include the right to vote as a fundamental right for Indian citizens," Ramesh asserted.
