Major Nikhil Rai Handa is accused of killing Shailza Dwivedi
When 32-year-old auto driver Deepak and four of his friends saw a woman lying on Brar Square near Delhi Cantt Metro station, they couldn’t fathom she was dead. Deepak’s PCR call would soon lead police to the body of Shailza Dwivedi, wife of Army Major Amit Dwivedi, who was allegedly murdered by another Army Major, Nikhil Rai Handa. “I immediately alerted police. Later, when I saw the news, I discovered she was a Major’s wife,” Deepak, who lives 500 meters away, told The Indian Express.
He said he was sitting with friends outside his house at a JJ cluster when a water tanker driver approached them and said a woman was lying on the road. “He told us she might be from our jhuggi, so we ran to check. But on seeing her, it seemed like she belonged to a rich household,” said Deepak. “It was 1.15-1.20 pm… A PCR van came within 5-10 minutes.”
Handa is accused of slitting the woman’s throat inside his car and running her over. While police claim he befriended her online, the woman’s family has said he was obsessed with her. On Tuesday, police took Handa to the spot and recreated the sequence of events. They also questioned a woman who Handa spoke to after allegedly killing Shailza. Police also called Handa’s younger brother for questioning, since he is believed to have met the accused before he fled to Meerut.
Police also took Handa to a shop near Delhi Cantt, from where he is believed to have purchased two knives. A senior officer claimed the shopkeeper identified him. Handa was also taken to Army Base Hospital, where he had gone following the incident. Police said they have recovered phones belonging to the victim and the accused.