Deny charges, but admit SUV in footage theirs

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

Vikas Barala (23), son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, and his friend Ashish Kumar (27), who were arrested for a bid to abduct 29-year-old Varnika Kundu, denied the charges during interrogation. However, they admitted that it was their SUV after the police confronted them with CCTV footage.

The two were arrested on the night intervening August 4 and 5 after they allegedly chased and tried to block the victim’s car with their SUV while she was heading home. Despite the victim’s statement to the police that an abduction attempt was made, the two were subsequently released on bail as they were charged under a bailable offence. Later, the abduction bid charge was added to the case following which they were arrested.

Sources said during interrogation, the police confronted the two by showing them the CCTV footage gathered from various places, including a liquor shop from where they purchased a bottle of beer. The sources said the accused admitted that the vehicle in the CCTV footage was theirs. However, they denied the allegations.

The footage of the liquor shop shows one of the accused walking out with a beer bottle around 11.20 pm on August 4. The police also have footage of the Sector 7 market where the accused parked their vehicle and had beer. It was from the Sector 7 market that the accused started stalking the victim till the Housing Board light point.

Cops reconstruct crime route along with Vikas

• Sources said on Thursday night, a team of the UT police reconstructed the route on which the stalking incident took place. Vikas Barala was accompanying the police. The sources said the police and the accused stopped at the Sector 7 market. Barala was made to show the place where they had parked the SUV to drink beer. The accused was then taken on the route on which the victim was stalked.
• Earlier, the police had reconstructed the route along with the complainant. 

Sidelights 

• DGP TS Luthra visited the Sector 26 police station on Wednesday night to take stock of the investigation. 
• Varnika’s father Virender Kundu on Thursday visited the Sector 26 police station and met SSP Eish Singhal.
• The police did not allow journalists to enter the police station. They were stopped at the main gate.