Anjali hit-&-run case: Baleno car owner arrested for hiding facts

The car, which killed 20-year-old Anjali Singh, was gifted to Ashutosh by his brother-in-law a few years back.

New Delhi | Updated: 06 January, 2023 11:15 am IST

The Baleno car (right) was gifted to Ashutosh by his brother-in-law.

Delhi Police has arrested Ashutosh Sharma, the owner of the Baleno car which killed 20-year-old Anjali Singh on new year’s night, for allegedly hiding the facts related to the case.

He was arrested from Rohini on Thursday night, said the police. He lives in Sector-1 of Rohini with his wife and toddler son and works in an IT company.

The car, which hit Anjali and dragged her for several kilometres in Sultanpuri area, was gifted to Ashutosh by his brother-in-law Lokesh a few years back.

All five occupants of the car — Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishnan, Mithun and Manoj Mittal — have already been arrested by the Delhi Police.

The New Indian visited Ashutosh’s neighbourhood and spoke to locals on Wednesday.

Ashutosh and another person named Ankush Khanna tried to save the accused, revealed the police investigation. Ankush is the brother of accused Amit Khanna who borrowed the car from Ashutosh on the pretext of taking his mother to a doctor. He is still on the run.

After the accident, Amit Khanna, who was driving the car, called up Ashutosh and informed him about the tragedy.

According to the police, Amit blamed another car occupant Deepak Khanna for the incident at the suggestion of Ankush Khanna. Amit initially told the police that Deepak Khanna was driving the car.

“They decided that if the matter reaches the police, they will tell them that Deepak (Khanna) was driving the car, as he was carrying a driving licence. Police said Sharma had also hidden the fact from the police,” said special commissioner of police Sagarpreet Hooda.

Police said that they have made Ashutosh and Amit co-accused in the case.

After allegedly hitting and dragging victim Anjali Singh with the Baleno, they parked the vehicle at the residence of Ashutosh and handed him the car keys.

CCTV footage accessed by The New Indian shows Amit and his friends parking the vehicle at around 4.55 am on January 1. Almost two hours later, police arrived at the parking lot.

When asked how police got to know about the location of the car, police sources said, “Many phone calls were made to the police after several witnesses saw the car moving with a dead body stuck below.”