Sultanpuri horror: Forensic tests show blood on wheels, not inside car

No evidence has been found so far of the 20-year-old Sultanpuri victim’s presence inside the grey Baleno that dragged her for at least 14km, but traces of blood were present on the wheels and the base of the car, indicating that she was stuck under it, forensic officials said on Wednesday.

Five men in the car allegedly hit the victim, Anjali Kumari, who was riding a scooter with her friend Nidhi as the pillion rider in Sultanpuri on New Year’s night, and the impact left her trapped under the vehicle, which then drove on for at least two hours, dragging the body before it got dislodged in a mutilated state and was found by local residents in outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala.

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An FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) official said on condition of anonymity, “When the car was first inspected and samples were collected, we did not find any traces inside the car. However, multiple traces were found beneath the car where the victim was found stuck. Most traces were behind the front left wheel right below the window.”

The official said, prima facie, the traces were of blood but a detailed examination will reveal full details. Samples were also collected from near Jaunti Village on Kanjhawala road from where Anjali’s body was recovered around 4am on January 1, the official said.

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Currently, all the exhibits lifted from the car and the spot from where the body was found are in police custody and will be handed over to the FSL in due course for examination. “Once we receive the traces, they’ll be processed and examined. But so far, no traces seeming to be blood have been found inside the car,” the officer said.

FSL in Rohini has also received blood samples of the five accused, and a report is likely to be released in a day or two. The men have told police that they were drunk and had bought alcohol from a shop in Sultanpuri around 10pm and consumed it on their way to Murthal and back, officials said.

According to police, Anjali’s friend Nidhi, a key witness in the case who had fled the spot after the accident, narrated the incident and what led to it on the night of December 31. Nidhi and Anjali went to a hotel around 7pm on December 31 where they were part of a New Year’s Eve party, she said. In a video, they could be seen leaving the hotel together on Anjali’s scooter at 1:31am on January 1.

According to police, Nidhi said that she asked Anjali to let her drive because the former was drunk, but Anjali did not let her. The accident took place minutes later. Nidhi said the two escaped another accident with a truck before they were hit by the grey Baleno occupied by the five accused. Nidhi said her friend’s foot was trapped under the car.

“Anjali shouted for help but those men continued to drive. They reversed the car and also moved it ahead despite knowing that Anjali was trapped. They did this at least twice. They tried to hit me as well but could not do so. The car had tinted window panes and those men were drunk. I panicked and left the spot. I suffered minor injuries. I walked back home,” she said.

Anjali’s body was found 14km away from the accident spot. The postmortem examination report showed 40 injuries to the body and said that brain matter was missing. Doctor told police that all injuries appeared to have been caused by blunt force trauma from the accident and subsequent dragging.