The Gurugram police have arrested Sunil Kumar, a 35-year-old man, for the murder of his 23-year-old girlfriend, Divya Kataria, whom he allegedly set on fire after an argument. The incident occurred in the Sector 9A area after the victim discovered that Kumar was already married.
Arrest and Remand
Sunil Kumar, a resident of Gubhana village in Badli, Jhajjar district, was arrested on Wednesday from Sector 9A. He was produced in a city court and has been taken on two days of police remand for questioning. The police are investigating the circumstances leading to the brutal murder.
The Incident
On June 19, the police received information from Artemis Hospital that Divya Kataria, a resident of Basai village in Gurugram, had been admitted with severe burn injuries. After initial treatment, she was referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. Initially, both the victim and her mother stated that they did not wish to pursue legal action.
Divya Kataria succumbed to her injuries on June 27 while undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital. Following her death, her cousin Vikas Kataria filed a complaint at Police Station Sector 9A on June 30. He stated that when he visited Divya in the hospital on June 22, she told him that Sunil alias Noni had forcibly set her on fire and threatened to kill her, her mother, and her sister if she revealed the truth.
Investigation Details
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered. Acting swiftly, the police arrested the accused on Wednesday. During interrogation, Kumar revealed that he runs a gold-buying shop in Gurugram and is married. He met Divya about one and a half years ago when she visited his shop to sell gold. They became acquainted and later entered into a relationship, which turned sour after she discovered he was already married.
“Investigation revealed that on June 18, Divya visited Sunil's shop, where an argument broke out between them. During the altercation, Sunil allegedly poured kerosene kept in the shop over her clothes. In an attempt to resolve the dispute, she booked a flat in Central Park on Sohna Road, where both of them stayed overnight. On the morning of June 19, the accused allegedly told her that the smell of kerosene had faded and asked her to change into fresh clothes. Another argument then erupted, during which he allegedly set her on fire. He subsequently took her to Artemis Hospital, from where she was referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, and she later died during treatment,” said a senior police officer.
Evidence Recovered
“Based on the accused's disclosure, the police recovered a bottle of kerosene kept at his shop along with his mobile phone. We are questioning the accused,” he added. The police are continuing their investigation to uncover further details about the crime.
