The accused, identified as Aadil alias Munne Khan, 25, had been pestering the girl, 21-year-old Riya Gautam, to start a relationship with him for months.
Three days after an aspiring air-hostess was stabbed to death in full public view in Shahdara's Mahendra Park area, the three accused, including a juvenile, were apprehended from Mumbai early on Saturday. The operation was jointly led by the Delhi Police and the Mumbai Police sleuths.
The accused, identified as Aadil alias Munne Khan, 25, had been pestering the girl, 21-year-old Riya Gautam, to start a relationship with him for months.
It also came to the fore that he had been arrested thrice in the last one-and-a-half years for cases related to vehicle theft.
According to Riya's family, Aadil allegedly started stalking and harassing her four months ago, after she told him to keep away. They said she had discussed the problem at home and had even said that Aadil had threatened her. Consequently, she had lodged a written complaint in this regard at the local police station.
The police, however, stated that though a complaint had been filed, Aadil and Riya were in touch over texts and calls. They also said that after Aadil recently returned from Gujarat, Riya lied to her family in order to meet him.
Cops further said Aadil had tasked his associates to recee the area and inform him about Riya's schedule. On July 5, he tried to engage Riya in a conversation but they ended up having an altercation. He then took out a knife and stabbed her multiple times, which led to her death. The accused then fled to Mumbai.
DCP (Shahadra) Nupur Prasad said: "More than a dozen police teams had been conducting repeated raids at their possible hideouts. Teams were sent to Mumbai, Gujarat, and UP to nab them. After his arrest, Aadil confessed to the crime and said he had been friends with Riya for the last three years. He further said when she started avoiding him, he discussed the issue with his friends, Junaid and the juvenile, and they planned to kill her. They purchased a knife for the purpose from Chhota Bazaar in Shahdara."
The bereaved family, meanwhile, rued that if an FIR had been registered against the accused and a probe had been initiated, their daughter might have been alive.
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