JOIN USNon-bailable warrant against Kanda
The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued a non-bailable warrant against Gopal Kanda as the city police descended at Sirsa in Haryana, arresting a relative of the absconding ex-minister wanted in the Geetika Sharma suicide case.
Bunty Bansal, the arrested relative – who is a son-in-law of Kanda’s brother-in-law – was questioned in connection with a phone call he had made for 40-minutes to a phone number in Nepal on Wednesday, sources said.
Over two dozen policemen reached Sirsa town early in the morning and questioned Bunty for some time before taking him in custody. Bunty Bansal is a contractor. The arrest could throw light on Kanda’s whereabouts, said sources.
The former Haryana minister who was named in Geetika Sharma’s suicide note remained elusive for the 12th day. The Delhi High Court will pronounce verdict on Friday on his plea for anticipatory bail.
The non-bailable warrant was issued by a magisteral court after additional solicitor general Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Delhi Police, opposed Kanda’s anticipatory bail.
He claimed Kanda has visited his MDLR Group’s offices and other places to destroy evidence.
Kanda, chairman and managing director of MDLR Group where Geetika was employed, is booked for abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation. Geetika was found hanging at her Ashok Vihar house in north Delhi on August 5.
“A notice (was) served under section 160 CrPC upon the accused through his wife, but he failed to join investigations therefore to secure presence of Kanda for the purpose of investigation issue NBW against him,” the court order said.
Kanda’s aide and co-accused Aruna Chaddha was on Thursday sent to judicial custody for 14 days, agencies reported. She was arrested on August 8 after being called in by police for questioning.
Meanwhile in Chandigarh, Gopal Kanda’s brother Gobind Kanda moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for directions to the government and police against raiding his house and other establishments without a search warrant.
He sought the court to issue directions so that he and his family are not harassed. The bench issued a notice for reply on the petition for September 25.
Delhi Police have argued that Kanda and Chaddha were harassing Geetika which caused her to commit suicide. They are also verifying Chaddha’s claims that she had accompanied Geetika to a gynaecologist to terminate her pregnancy.
Police are now expected to record the statement of the doctor involved.
Kanda and Chaddha had reportedly visited Geetika when she left MDLR Group and started working for Air Emirates Airlines in Dubai. During this period, the duo is suspected to have compelled her to leave that airline and rejoin Kanda's company.