Ex- JDU MLA was dancing with pistol in one hand and drink in other, DJs tell police

delhi

Updated: Jan 05, 2019 16:24 IST

Former Janata Dal United (JDU) MLA Raju Singh was dancing with a pistol in one hand and a glass of liquor in the other, the two disk jockeys (DJ) playing at Singh’s farmhouse during the New Year party reportedly told police.

The DJs said Singh was drinking for an hour after the murder on the blood-covered dance floor, said a senior police officer privy to the investigation.

The two DJs also gave their statement before a magistrate, which means it serves as admissible evidence before a court.

Police said the DJs helped them string together the sequence of events that led to the death of 42-year-old Archana Gupta. Gupta was allegedly shot on the dance floor on Monday as the former legislator from Bihar was allegedly firing gunshots in the air to celebrate the New Year.

Gupta succumbed to her injuries at a city hospital on Thursday afternoon.

The Delhi Police team probing the case received the initial autopsy report on Friday. The report confirmed that the bullet which killed Gupta was shot from the gun recovered from Singh. Police said that Singh had used his licensed pistol.

A police team will also travel to Kushinagar, UP, with Raju Singh and his bodyguard Hari Singh as part of the investigation. The two men were detained in Kushinagar on Wednesday as they tried fleeing to Bihar.

The crime took place on Monday night at Singh’s New Year’s party at his farmhouse in south Delhi’s Mandi village. Close to midnight, Singh and his accomplice Hari Singh allegedly started firing gunshots, one of which hit Gupta, who was on the dance floor.

Gupta was pronounced dead on Thursday morning. The two men were caught in Kushinagar and brought to Delhi, after which they were formally arrested. On Thursday, Singh’s wife and his associate Raminder were also arrested for allegedly tampering with the evidence and threatening guests at the party not to testify against Singh.

“We have recorded the statement of the two DJs. They said they were busy changing songs when they heard the gunshots. Suddenly they saw and heard people screaming. They then saw Gupta lying on the floor. They said Singh drank for an hour after the shooting,” said a senior police officer.

“We checked CCTV footages in which the two men are seen with the guns. Singh is seen in the footage holding a pistol while his associate Hari is holding a rifle. The entry wound of the bullet in the woman’s head is small. The experts have said that the injury was caused by .22 pistol bullet and that not of the rifle,” said deputy commissioner of police (south) Vijay Kumar.

Raju Singh’s wife Renu and Raminder, who were arrested for tampering evidence, were sent to jail on Friday. “We have established that the bullet that killed Archana Gupta was fired by Raju Singh. We are now completing the missing links. We are yet to recover cartridges from the rifle and Hari Singh’s blood drenched cloths,” the DCP said.

Gupta’s family members had donated her kidneys on Thursday after she was pronounced dead. On Friday, a 45-year-old man and a 67-year-old elderly woman received Gupta’s organs.