Chandigarh: In a breakthrough, Haryana Police arrested Sunil, a father of two, for the alleged murder of 24-year-old Haryanvi model Sheetal Choudhary — who was known for her work in regional music albums. The arrest was made in Panipat, bringing a chilling twist to the high-profile case.
The accused, a resident of Israna, was arrested Monday evening for allegedly stabbing the model to death.
The victim’s family lodged a missing report June 15.
Her body, with the throat slit and multiple stab wounds, was recovered from a canal in Sonipat Monday morning.
The model, nicknamed Simmi, lived with her sister in Panipat and was engaged in making music videos.
The police said the accused, Sunil, and the model, Sheetal, had an altercation Saturday night, which turned into a physical fight, with Sunil stabbing her several times before throwing her body into a canal.
Sub-Inspector Sandeep told the media that Sheetal’s elder sister Neha on June 15 lodged a complaint about her disappearance.
In the complaint, Neha said her sister had gone for a shoot but never returned. The family searched for her but she was untraceable.
“Neha told the police that a man named Sunil, her former boyfriend, had assaulted her and was trying to forcibly take her with him,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Satish Vats.
Sunil’s car was later found submerged under mysterious circumstances in a canal in Panipat Sunday. He was rescued from the vehicle, but Sheetal was not with him.
Neha has accused Sunil of orchestrating a cover-up exercise to mislead the police.
However, Sheetal’s body was recovered in the canal in Kharkhoda and the tattoos on hands and chest confirmed her identity.
Police verified that the recovered body matched the details given in the missing person report filed in Panipat.
“Sunil has been taken into custody. The case is being investigated from all angles. He is changing his statements frequently. We are awaiting the post-mortem report,” said Panipat Superintendent of Police, Bhupender Singh.
Her body has been sent to Khanpur Medical College for autopsy.
The victim’s sister, in a statement to the police said the accused knew her sister Sheetal from the time when they were working in a hotel in Karnal.
“He had proposed marriage, but Sheetal rejected the proposal after learning that he was already married and was a father of two. Even after she resigned from the job, Sunil continued to harass my sister,” Neha stated.
Police teams from two districts, i.e. Panipat and Sonipat, are now jointly conducting the investigation.
IANS
