Swiss Woman's Murder: Delhi court extends police custody of accused by 5 days
Oct 30, 2023
New Delhi [India], October 30 : A Delhi Court on Monday extended the police custody of the accused in the alleged murder of Swiss woman Nina Berger, by five days.
Earlier, on Monday, the accused was produced before the court by Delhi Police.
"The accused was produced before the court today and his custody was extended by five days. Further, we have been in touch with the Embassy of Switzerland and have managed to get the fingerprints of Nina Berger, through official channels. The prints matched those of the deceased. This has helped us ascertain the identity of the deceased as Nina Berger," an officer said.
"The mortal remains of the deceased were handed over today to the person authorised by the embassy to receive them. We are still waiting for the autopsy report on the basis of which we will be able to confirm the actual cause of death," the officer added.
The accused was arrested on October 21.
An unidentified woman was found dead near the wall of an MCD school located in Tilak Nagar. The victim was later determined to be a Swiss national, police said earlier, adding that the accused has been arrested.
Police had also seized the car used in the commission of the crime by the accused.
Following the murder, according to the police, the accused, Gurpreet, dumped the body in the same car on a roadside.
During the interrogation, the accused revealed that he had met the woman on a social networking website four years ago.
"The meeting, which took place three to four years ago, blossomed into a friendship, and the accused eventually fell in love with the woman. However, she had another boyfriend and the accused wasn't pleased to learn of it," a police officer said earlier.
"The accused called the woman over to India from Switzerland on the pretext of meeting. As she arrived, he tied her hands and legs with a chain, saying that he would give her a surprise in 10 minutes. He then choked her to death," the officer added.
According to the police, the accused had purchased a car by showing the ID of another girl and dumped the body in the Tilak Nagar area.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Vichitra Veer, said last Friday they had received a call between 8.45 am and 9 am at Tilak Nagar police station about the incident.
After receiving word of the body, specialized teams reached the spot.
"Prima Facie, we thought that it was a case of murder. We registered a case under IPC sections 302 and 201 and started an investigation. Footage from nearby CCTV cameras showed a suspicious car passing by. We identified the car as being bought from a second-hand car dealer in Janakpuri. The transaction was entirely in cash as the accused was wary not to leave a money trail. We traced the accused, identified as Gurpreet. He was using the car. We apprehended Gurpreet from Janakpuri," DCP Vichita Veer said.
"We've conducted a preliminary investigation so far. He is not very cooperative. However, we can confirm that the body was dumped in a car. The victim was in touch with the accused for the last 8-10 days," he added.
According to officials, police recovered Rs 1.5 crore from the accused, which he had been allegedly acquired by selling the property.
