After being on the run for 10 days, controversial former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda surrendered before police in the wee hours on Saturday and was arrested in connection with the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma.
Kanda, who was absconding for the past 10 days after policeserved him a notice to appear before them to join investigations, surfaced atBharat Nagar Police Station at 4 AM.
Before entering the police station, he told reporters thathe was joining investigations as directed by the Delhi Police.
"Kanda has surrendered and we have arrested him,"P Karunakaran, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) told PTI.
Delhi Police had conducted over 60 searches and raids inHaryana, Goa and Siliguri in West Bengal, besides questioning around 30 peoplein connection with the case. His brother Govind Kanda was also arrestedyesterday for allegedly helping Kanda evade police.
Kanda's employee, Aruna Chaddha, a senior functionary withnow defunct MDLR airlines, has already been arrested and is in judicial custodyin connection with the suicide of 23-year-old air hostess Geetika Sharma, whoallegedly took her life on August 5 at her Ashok Vihar residence.
In her suicide note, Geetika had alleged that Kanda andChaddha were harassing her to rejoin the former minister's firm after she leftthe job.
Reacting to Kanda's surrender, Geetika's brother Ankit said,"This is a planned and well thought out entry. Now my only fear is thatthe investigations will be impartial of not.
12 days is enough to destroy evidence. Whatever power Kandacould have used to tamper with evidence he has. The investigation should betransparent."
"I want his interrogation to be done before camera anda retired judge so that he does not change his statement," he said.
Ankti said Geetika's Facebook account has been deactivatedand alleged that Kanda was behind it.
"I have informed the DCP about it. I don't know who orhow it was done.Kanda is behind it," he said.
He also alleged that the Haryana Government is supportingKanda.
The anticipatory bail plea of Kanda was dismissed by theDelhi High Court yesterday which said that despite being a "free man"he himself did not file it and it was a "sufficient" ground for itsrejection.
The court also came down heavily on Delhi Police for notpressing its plea before the magisterial court to search his premises inHaryana.
Without going into the legal and factual contentions raisedby Kanda's lawyer in the day-long hearing, Justice P K Bhasin had said,"In my view, this anticipatory bail application is liable to be rejected,without going into the merits at all, only on the ground that the same has notbeen filed by the person apprehending his arrest."
The Rohini Court on Thursday had issued a Non BailableWarrant (NBW) against Kanda.
Kanda, who was last seen coming out of his Gurgaon residenceon August 8, was served with a notice to join investigations on August 7.
