SWISS WOMAN’S MURDER | Delhi court extends accused’s police custody till October 30

New Delhi: A Delhi court has extended the police custody of the accused in the murder of Swiss national Nina Berger till October 30.

Nina’s body, with limbs and legs bound with chains, was found near a school in West Delhi on October 20, and the accused, Gurpreet Singh, was arrested on October 21.

Metropolitan Magistrate Devanshu Sajlan of the Tis Hazari Courts extended Singh’s police custody by five days after the Delhi Police sought an extension to quiz him.

During investigation, the police recovered various documents, including Nina’s passport and visa, from Gurpreet’s possession.

Initially, there were inconsistencies in the statements given by Singh, who was subsequently arrested in connection with the case. His statements regarding the murder kept changing.

As per Singh’s interrogation, he had met Nina in 2021 during his visit to Switzerland, and their friendship had developed into a close bond. Singh frequently travelled to Switzerland to be near Nina. Over time, he expressed his desire to marry her, but she rejected his proposal.

Nina had arrived in Delhi from Zurich on October 11 and was staying in a hotel. However, as the interrogation of Singh continued, it became evident that he was attempting to mislead the police.

According to sources, the examination of the mobile phone of the accused revealed that he was in touch with at least a dozen women who were also foreigners, an evidence that possibly links the case to the police’s human trafficking theory.

Significantly, the police recovered over Rs 2 crore in cash from Singh’s residence in Janakpuri.

Further investigation revealed substantial financial transactions through Singh’s bank account, leading the investigators to notify the Income Tax authorities. These high-value transactions and the unaccounted cash raised suspicions that the case might be related to human trafficking.

Moreover, the cuts and some burn marks on the victim’s body also indicate that she was probably tortured before being killed.

Even the locks and chains, with which the woman was found tied, were bought just two days before the murder by the accused from a market in West Delhi.