The 25-year-old man, who stalked the Delhi University student Radhika Tanwar and allegedly shot her dead last Tuesday, was arrested in Mumbai late on Friday night. The country-made pistol used in the offence was seized, the Delhi Police said.
The accused, Vijay alias Ram Singh, had already been identified by the South Delhi Police following the arrest of two of his friends, Tabrez and Ashraf, for harbouring and helping him.
Announcing the arrest at a press conference here on Saturday, Delhi Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta said: “The South Delhi Police team reached Mumbai by air on Friday night and arrested Vijay alias Ram Singh at Vikroli at around 11 p.m. He was brought to Delhi by air on Saturday morning. The .315 bore country-made pistol used by him in the crime was seized from his friend Sheikh alias Sheikhu at his instance.” Sheikhu has also been arrested.
Not reported
Mr. Gupta said the accused, who lived in the victim's neighbourhood a few years ago, had “psychopathic obsession” for her. “Vijay would follow the victim to her college in bus and autorickshaw. He also tried to speak to her on few occasions, but the girl spurned his advances. She confided in her close friends about him, but never told her parents. The matter was never reported to the police as well.''
Mr. Gupta added: “Vijay went to Mumbai in 2007 after he was twice beaten up for harassing the victim, but was so obsessed with her that he would keep coming to Delhi to see her. He recently came to Delhi over a month ago and was staying in Shakur Basti.''
The Commissioner said the immediate provocation for the crime came when Vijay accosted Radhika on the foot-overbridge near her college on March 5 and tried to speak to her, but was snubbed.
“He felt humiliated and decided to eliminate her. He was spotted at the bus stop near the bridge the day the murder took place,” Mr. Gupta said.
Friends' suspicion
After the murder, Vijay went to his friends, Ashraf and Tabrez, in Naharpur and purportedly told them he had had a fight with someone in Naraina. They suspected that he had done something seriously wrong and suspicion grew when they read about the murder of Radhika the following day.
The three then left for Gurgaon to meet a common friend, who refused to help him. “Vijay then spent the night at a railway station in Gurgaon and left for Mumbai the next morning,” said Mr. Gupta.
