The Tribune, January 28, 2003

Youth detained for murder of social worker
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, January 27
The Sadar police have arrested a youth, Subhash, in connection with the alleged murder of Ms Shanti Devi Malik, a social worker of this city, about two weeks ago. According to a report, a case under Section 302 of the IPC and the Indian Arms Act has been registered against him. Mr Mohinder Singh, a resident of Rohat village and the brother of Subhash, has alleged that Subhash was picked up by the police from the premises of the scooter agency at Ganaur town on January 20 last and whisked away to the police station. The police, however, declined to give any reason to the parents of Subhash about his detention.

Thereupon, Mr Mohinder Singh approached the Additional Sessions Judge, Sonepat, Ms Anita Chaudhary, and made a complaint about the illegal detention of his brother. The court sent a warrant officer to the police station who found Subhash in the lock-up. Subhash told the warrant officer that he had been kept in the police lock-up since January 20 but the police claimed that he was arrested on January 23 at 2 pm. The police have taken away the scooter of Mr Mohinder Singh, which was parked in the judicial courts complex along with currency notes worth Rs 30,000, which was kept in the tool box of the scooter after withdrawal from the bank. According to the police sources, Subhash had used this scooter for the shooting down of the victim, Ms Sheela Devi Malik, while she was sitting in a shop on the Atlas road.