NEW DELHI: Four days after woman television journalist Saumya Vishwanathan was shot dead in south Delhi while returning home after a night shift, Delhi Police on Friday said they had been approached by a person who had apparently heard some sound while passing by the way that night.
Vishwanathan, who was working with Headlines Today news channel, was found dead in her white Maruti Suzuki Zen car in Vasant Kunj area around 3.30 a.m. on Tuesday. She was returning from work to her home in Sector-C of Vasant Kunj.
"A person who was passing on the same road (the Nelson Mandela Road) has approached us saying that he had heard some sound apparently when Saumya Vishwanathan's car hit the central verge on the road around 3.30 a.m.," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south Delhi) H.G.S. Dhaliwal said.
"The person said the sound could have been of a bullet. We cannot reveal anything more than this as it might hamper investigations. We appeal to those who had travelled on the same road on that night to help us with information," he added.
The police are also studying the volume of traffic on the road between 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. to get an idea about the number of vehicles that generally pass at the time.
Earlier, an employee of a nearby eatery, Punjabi By Nature, who was returning home on his bicycle, saw the car rammed against the divider. He told the police he saw Vishwanathan's head inclined on the right side and the car's ignition, air-conditioner and headlights were on.
The police said the employee of the eatery did not see the incident taking place. "He arrived only after it had taken place."
A senior official investigating the case dismissed reports that blue paint marks on Vishwanathan's car were due to it brushing against another car.
"The blue paints marks most likely came from the signboard at the accident side. We are now examining the footage obtained from the close circuit television camera (CCTV) installed in the parking area of her office, but nothing concrete has emerged yet," said a senior official.
"The CCTV footage shows her getting down from the office stairs, reach the parking bay and paying some balance money to a coffee vendor. She then approaches her car and sits inside. She comes out of the car and wipes her windscreen. She again sits in the car and leaves," the official added.
On Friday, the police again questioned her family and relatives to gather any clues to the case. The police were also questioning one of her male colleagues with whom she had apparently broken up a few months ago.
"We are also probing the stalking angle. But nothing is clear yet. We are hopeful of cracking the case soon," the official added.
After an unidentified caller informed police about foul smell in the area, police officials rushed to the accident site Friday and checked the area.
