Court sends man accused of killing live-in partner to 5-day custody

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday sent a man accused of killing his live-in partner and stuffing her body into a fridge in southwest Delhi to five-day police custody for interrogation.

Sahil Gehlot, 24, a resident of Mitraon village in southwest Delhi, killed his partner, stuffed her body inside a refrigerator at his dhaba (eatery), and went off to marry another woman on the same day, police told the court.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Archana Beniwal granted the crime branch of Delhi police his custody for five days to interrogate him and ascertain the exact scene of the murder and the route he took after committing the alleged crime.

The court passed the order on an application moved by police.

In their remand application, police said they needed to take the accused to the places where the accused went with the deceased. They said the investigators intended to conduct searches at places linked to the crime and collect evidence.

The incident came to light on Valentine's Day and police recovered the body of the 23-year-old woman on the basis of clues provided by the accused.

Police said the accused had hidden from his girlfriend Nikki Yadav that he was getting married to another woman. When Nikki came to know about his wedding, she had a heated argument with the accused which led to her murder, police said.

''It has been claimed that she was threatening to implicate the man in a case if he married another woman," a source said.

The couple was in relationship for the past few years and Nikki wanted to marry the accused, police said. On the intervening night of February 9 and 10, when the victim confronted the accused about his marriage, he killed her using the data cable of his mobile phone in his car and then kept her body in a refrigerator at his dhaba, police said. A case under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed, or giving false information to screen offender) has been registered at Baba Haridas Nagar police station, police said.