Radhika Tanwar murder case: Police arrest accused from Mumbai

A 25-year-old man who had a 'psychopathic obsession' for stalking women was arrested from Mumbai for allegedly murdering a Delhi University student outside her college here with police today claiming that he took her life for "snubbing" him.

Vijay alias Ram Singh was apprehended by a team of Delhi police from Tagore Nagar in suburban Mumbai's Vikroli at around 11.00pm yesterday in connection with the murder of Radhika Tanwar (20) last Tuesday.

Investigators attributed the immediate trigger for the girl's murder on the foot-over-bridge outside Ramlal Anand College in South Delhi's Dhaula Kuan to an incident on last Saturday, three days before her killing, when Vijay was snubbed by Radhika when he approached her to strike a conversation.

Police yesterday said Vijay 'nurtured deep grudge' against Radhika after he was beaten up for harassing her and used to tell his friends that whenever he gets an opportunity, he would avenge the humiliation.

"Vijay suffers from psychopathic obsession. He used to follow women. He followed Radhika regularly. The   immediate trigger was the snubbing of Radhika when he tried to speak to her," BK Gupta, Delhi police commissioner, told reporters.

According to HGS Dhaliwal, deputy commissioner of police (South), Vijay suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). "He used to follow by an auto the bus which she used to take. Sometimes he also used to board the bus Radhika used to travel."

However, police have no expert opinion to substantiate that Vijay, hailing from Vishwan in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur, suffers from OCD. "It is a behavioural pattern and you don't need any scientific research to figure it out," Dhaliwal said.

Vijay had allegedly fled the capital two days after the murder but was caught within 12 hours of his reaching Vikroli. "He first went to his friends in Rohini soon after the murder and claimed that he entered into a scuffle.

"However, later he told his friends Tabreez and Ashraf that he was involved in the murder of the girl. Seeing the  media coverage, they felt frightened and went to Gurgaon to a friend to get a job for Vijay but he refused to help," he said.

Following this, Vijay and his the friends went to Gurgaon railway station on Wednesday. While the friends, who were arrested yesterday, headed towards Sitapur, Vijay slept at the railway station and left for Mumbai on Thursday morning.

Gupta said the .315 bore country-made pistol used for committing the murder was recovered from his friend Sheku in Piplanji village. "Besides Vijay, three others who helped him have been arrested. Vijay was brought to Delhi by air," a senior police official said.

Gupta said Radhika would not share 'many things' with her family. "She was very bold and brushed aside these incidents though he was constantly following her," he said, adding Vijay is also believed to be involved in a murder of a close relative in Situpuri.

Dhaliwal said he regularly used to follow her, even when she returned home from college in the evening.

"Once he followed her to Green Park in South Delhi. It always troubled him that she did not respond to him. He also did not have the courage to approach her. He became more obsessive. He never spoke to her. He also did not have her phone number.

"After leaving for Mumbai, he used to come to Naraina to see the victim. The family or friends did not know much about these things," Dhaliwal said, adding Vijay was beaten up twice in a span of 15 days in August and  September, 2007.

On Saturday, after the girl snubbed him, Dhaliwal said he allegedly decided to murder and went to Gurgaon to meet a friend who arranged the firearm for him. He returned the next day with the weapon.

During interrogation, Vijay told the police that he came to Delhi in 2005. He worked as a tailor at different places but mainly remained in and around Naraina Vihar.

"Sometime in 2007, he saw the victim and he became obsessed about her. He used to watch her and at times he would  wait for her in her way.

"Sometime in 2007, he saw the victim and he became obsessed about her," Dhaliwal said adding Vijay also told police that he ran with the firearm in his hand after firing at the girl but nobody stopped him from fleeing.

Giving details about the investigations, the official said the entire route taken by the victim was searched to know about CCTV cameras. More than 500 people were quizzed including conductors and drivers of buses.

"All vendors and auto drivers in Satya Niketan locals were interrogated. Enquiries from students and teachers in Ram Lal Anand College were made," Dhaliwal said.

The daylight murder of the 20-year-old second-year degree student exposed the vulnerability of women in the city and evoked sharp reactions from public as well as political leaders. Family, locals and college students staged protests demanding that the killer be arrested immediately.

Asked how they zeroed in on the two friends who allegedly harboured Vijay, Dhaliwal said the detention followed search for acquaintances of those who were beaten up earlier for stalking.

"There were three incidents of beating up stalkers in the area. We spoke to polling agents of political parties who knew the voters in the area as well as those who did not figure in the voters list.

"We also spoke to owners of ration shops, grocery shops and milk booths who provided inputs about friends of those who were beaten up. This led us to the two friends and Vijay's employer Kamal," Dhaliwal said.

Kamal told police that he refused to re-employ Vijay in his knitting unit in Naraina in South-West Delhi about one-and-a half months ago as he was "involved in the stalking" incident. It was also learnt that Vijay was a drunkard and not regular at work.