HT Exclusive: Police recover weapon used in Shahbad Dairy murder

The knife was recovered at the instance of Sahil, the prime suspect, from a vacant plot near the Rithala Metro station, said police

The Delhi Police on Thursday recovered a sharp knife that Sahil allegedly used to brutally murder a 16-year-old girl in north-west Delhi’s Shahbad Dairy on Sunday night, said senior officers involved in the investigation.

People gather outside the residence of the 16-year-old girl who was allegedly stabbed to death by a man on Sunday in Shahbad Dairy, on Thursday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHoto)

The knife was recovered at the instance of Sahil, the prime suspect, from a vacant plot near the Rithala Metro station, said Dependra Pathak, special commissioner of police (law and order), adding that the weapon may prove to be a vital piece of evidence for the prosecution in the case.

“Earlier, we had searched several spots on the Shabad Dairy-Rithala Metro station stretch – where the accused claimed to have thrown the knife, but we could not find it. During his police custody, Sahil gave contradictory statements about the incident and the weapon used in the commission of crime, to mislead investigation. But after the court extended his remand for three days on Thursday, he broke down during the sustained interrogation. He took us to the spot from where the knife (over 6 inches long) was recovered,” Pathak said.

In the sensational crime captured on a CCTV camera, Sahil stabbed the girl at least 16 times, kicked her limp body, and battered her relentlessly with a stone slab. He then fled for his aunt’s house in Bulandshahr, and was arrested on Monday after police traced a call he made to his mother.

Ravi Kumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police (outer north), said two police teams were sent to the house of Sahil’s aunt in Bulandshahr, from where the accused was arrested. “Our team went to Bulandshahr to match the timeline provided by the suspect during his custodial interrogation. Our officials have found that the details provided by the accused about his journey from Delhi to Bulandshahr were correct. Even the number and timing of the buses were found correct,” Singh said.

The DCP said that Sahil was interrogated at length on Thursday, after the extension of his custodial remand. “Prima facie, it appears to be a planned murder, after the victim and her friends humiliated him in public. However, he is regretting his deeds now,” he said.

The police on Wednesday recorded the statements of over 15 people, including the family and friends of the victim in connection with the murder. “We hope that the former boyfriend of the victim will also join the investigation on Friday. He is presently in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh,” Pathak said.

Remand extended

The Rohini court Thursday extended the police remand of Sahil for three days.

DCP Singh said the police produced Sahil before a duty metropolitan magistrate’s residence on Thursday morning and sought extension of his police remand for three more days.

“Due to security reasons, Sahil was produced in the early court, instead of the regular court. Considering our request, the court extended his police custody till Saturday,” said the DCP.