NEW DELHI, Aug 18:
Former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda, a fugitive for the past 10 days, today surrendered before Delhi Police which arrested him in connection with the Geetika Sharma suicide case and secured a seven-day court remand to question him.
After a dramatic build-up in which his brother was arrested last night, Kanda, who failed to get anticipatory bail from the Delhi High Court yesterday, surfaced at Ashok Vihar Police Station at 4 am hoodwinking policemen deployed across North-West Delhi to apprehend him.
Soon after Kanda emerged from a van with media stickers in front of the police station, some policemen rushed out and took him inside.
Before entering the police station, Kanda told media persons, who were waiting there anticipating his surrender, “I came here on my own will to help the investigation.”
Kanda, who was last seen coming out of his Gurgaon residence on August 8, was served with a notice to join investigations on August 7.
Geetika’s brother Ankit alleged that Kanda’s surrender was a “pre-planned drama” and the Government was helping him.
Later in the day, amid tight security cover, Kanda was produced in a Rohini court which accepted the Delhi Police’ plea for his custodial interrogation and sent him to seven days police custody.
After Delhi Police said Kanda was not cooperating in the probe, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate D K Jangala said his custodial interrogation is necessary for recovery of various materials related to the case.
Kanda was produced in the court room, which was packed to capacity and many of his supporters were stopped from entering the court with police personnel bolting the door from inside.
Delhi Police had sought 14-days custody of Kanda on the ground that his sustained interrogation is required to unearth the whole conspiracy as some material evidence including electronic records are yet to be recovered.
“Therefore, keeping in view the cumulative facts and circumstances and material produced, I am of the considered opinion that seven days police custody remand of the accused Gopal Goyal Kanda shall be sufficient for interrogation and recovery of alleged material.
“The application is allowed for grant of seven days custody remand accordingly,” said the judge.
Hours before his surrender, Kanda’s brother Govind came to police station at midnight to inform police that the former minister will surrender.
However, police arrested Govind and later it was found that he was wanted in a cheque-bounce case for which he was produced today in a Saket court, which granted him bail.
A magisterial court had on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against the former Haryana Minister. The court had asked the police to execute the arrest warrant by August 24.
Kanda’s employee, Aruna Chaddha, a senior functionary with now defunct MDLR airlines, has already been arrested and is in judicial custody in connection with the suicide of 23-year-old air hostess Geetika Sharma, who allegedly took her life on August 5 at her Ashok Vihar residence.
In her suicide note, Geetika had alleged that Kanda and Chaddha were harassing her to rejoin the former minister’s firm after she left the job.
Both Kanda and Chaddha have denied the allegations. (PTI)
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