NEW DELHI: A day after the inhuman torture inflicted by Jaunpur MP Dhananjay Singh ’s wife, Jagriti Singh , on her domestic helps shook the conscience of Delhiites, the police unearthed more evidence of her brutal and diabolical nature. They tracked down a third help, Meena Sardar (35), who had to be immediately rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital with burns and other injuries. Another alleged victim of Jagriti, she had been sent off to her brother-in-law’s place by the couple just before the police arrived at the 175 South Avenue flat in Chanakyapuri on Monday night to discover the battered body of Rakhi Bhadra (35).

Denied medical help, Meena could barely walk. She has burn injuries on her hips inflicted by a hot iron and injuries on her hands, legs and back, suffered when she was hit with rods. On Wednesday evening, a magistrate recorded her statement in the hospital under Section 164 of CrPC, DCP (New Delhi district) SBS Tyagi told TOI.

Charges under POCSO Act?

In her initial statement to the cops, she mentioned how Jagriti had hammered the domestic helps, corroborating the statement given by the 17-year-old male servant, additional DCP Madhur Verma said, adding that the forensic team had re-examined the crime scene on Wednesday.

Meena also said in her statement that the helps often complained to Dhananjay, but he would say, “It's okay”. She claimed that she had seen Jagriti watching the juvenile bathing on CCTV. The police is now planning to file a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Bail is not granted to a person charged under POCSO.

The juvenile showed his injuries in a trial court on Wednesday when the couple was produced before the judge. He pointed towards Jagriti, identifying her as the tormentor of the servants. Dhananjay Singh’s attempt to distance himself from his wife by citing his divorce case didn’t convince the court one bit and both he and his wife were remanded to five days in police custody.

Meena, meanwhile, told the magistrate that she had been threatened by the MP not to open her mouth and had been sent off to her brother-in-law’s place. The police tracked her down on Tuesday night. Both Meena and Rakhi were supplied to the MP by the same source around 10 months ago. Meena belongs to 24 Parganas, West Bengal.

The cops have, however, found that the placement agency in Chirag Dilli mentioned by the couple, AJR, does not exist. They have a mobile number which they are using to trace the owners of the agency. The MP has told the cops that he paid around Rs 1.2 lakh each for hiring Rakhi and Meena.

The police now have three strong witnesses – the juvenile servant, Meena and an electrician, Azad. They may file a separate FIR on Meena’s statement and are now examining the possibility of adding sections related to criminal conspiracy (120B IPC) to the existing FIR lodged under sections of murder, attempt to murder, wrongful confinement and juvenile justice and bonded labour acts.

The monstrous nature of the dental surgeon emerged even more strongly when the police found that Jagriti broke two of Rakhi’s teeth on Saturday with a spoon while trying to feed her forcibly. Even as life was gradually ebbing out of Rakhi’s body, she did not have any food for two days, the police said on Wednesday after questioning the couple.

Rakhi’s son, Shehnaz, has told the cops that Rakhi’s husband had died a few years ago and he was her only son who lived in her hometown near Kolkata with other family members. The cops will have an autopsy conducted on Thursday by a medical board and hand over Rakhi’s body to him.

The police claim to have found that the MP himself beat up the male servant at times and also disposed of Rakhi’s mobile phones besides the DVR (recorder) from the 20 CCTV cameras installed on the premises, even in the bathrooms.

The cops have seized the antlers , DVR, rods, a bedpost and an iron from the South Avenue flat. The DVR is not working, a source said, though the cops tried to access it. The data needs to be retrieved as the police are sure that the CCTV footage will have incriminating evidence.

Forensic teams have also lifted samples from the servants’ room at the rear of the flat where Rakhi lay on a mat from November 1 to November 4 evening and bled to death. Her body was removed from there at least after 18 hours of death, police said. There were several bloodstains in that room which have been wiped out by the couple and their staff. The couple may also be taken to Jaunpur in UP.

