Missing Uzbek dancer killed

NEW DELHI: The mystery of an Uzbek dancer's disappearance from south Delhi in late-September may have been solved with police claiming she was murdered by rivals. However, the long delay in solving the case has raised questions about police's working. Shakhunoza Shukurova, 25, was abducted from the South Extension market around 10.30pm on September 24 by a man identified as Gagandeep, and another dancer, Naaz.Police say Gagandeep, who claims to own a placement agency in Kailash Colony , killed her and drove the body to Samalkha in Haryana in his blue Tata Indica car and tried to destroy it by burning behind a former MLA 's farmhouse. The charred remains were found next morning.
Police got some leads in the case after Gagandeep was arrested and confessed that he had killed Shukurova because she wasn't paying up Rs 8 lakh.
"We received the complaint on September 26. An FIR was registered under Section 365 (kidnapping) of IPC on October 8," said R S Krishna, joint commissioner (southeastern range). "We have arrested one person and are investigating further. The DNA profiles are also being matched."
Shukurova had been visiting Delhi for the past eight years. She rented a house in Kishangarh near Vasant Kunj and worked as a belly dancer at private parties and in clubs, police said. Gagandeep's disclosure statement claims Shukurova had been poaching Naaz's clients and not repaying her debt.
The night Shukurova was kidnapped, she had to perform in Paharganj. Gagandeep had asked her to see him in the South Extension market around 10pm, so she drove in a cab and arrived by 10.25pm. Pritam Singh, the cab driver, told poli ce he saw Shukurova walk towards a blue car across the road. "I saw Gagandeep step out, push her into the backseat and drive off. Naaz and Gagandeep's wife, Masha, were also in the car," he claimed.
Gagandeep has told police he drove around south Delhi while Naaz and Shukurova exchanged hot words, but after some time he stopped the car on a deserted stretch near the Delhi-Haryana border and strangled Shukurova. They thought of dumping the body on the roadside but Naaz panicked and asked him to drive on till they reached an open area.
In Samalkha, they carried the body to a field behind a farmhouse, stuffed it into a bag and set it on fire. A case of murder was registered when the local police found the remains next morning. The corpse was preserved for 72 hours and disposed of after an autopsy .
Although Pritam Singh reported Shukurova missing to the Kotla Mubarakpur police on September 26, they did not register an FIR for almost a fortnight. Gagandeep slowed down the investigation with contradictory statements during his initial questioning.Naaz, who is a crucial piece of the puzzle, has also been missing and Gagandeep claims he has no information about her.
For now, police are not taking Gagandeep's claims at face value and are trying to trace Naaz. A special task force led by senior inspector Rajender Singh has gone to Sonipat to investigate and carry out identification.