Model Divya Pahuja’s murder was planned, might escalate gang war, say Mumbai police

An undated photo of Divya Pahuja; (right) a still from CCTV footage in which her body can be seen being dragged by the alleged killers

The 27-year-old former model, Divya Pahuja, was shot at point-blank range by her boyfriend, Abhijeet Singh, after she allegedly made comments about his manhood, according to an officer involved in the Haryana police investigation. Pahuja, who had spent seven years in a Mumbai jail for her role in the staged encounter of Haryana gangster Sandeep Gadoli in 2016, had begun dating Singh, who was almost double her age and consistently intoxicated.

"Abhijeet Singh, hotelier, would always remain high on alcohol and drugs. Additionally, he is double the age of Pahuja, whom he was unable to sexually satisfy. Despite this, the cash-strapped Pahuja remained in touch with him to gain monetary benefits. During an interrogation, he informed us that Pahuja was in possession of sexually explicit content, based on which she had been sextorting him. We are yet to obtain the sexually explicit content as her mobile phone is still unrecovered," said the officer in the Haryana police.

Abhijeet Singh, the deceased's boyfriend and accused

Pahuja, the daughter of a vegetable and fruit seller, had connected with Singh through a common friend, Binder Gujjar, a notorious gangster involved in the staged encounter of Sandeep Gadoli. The Mumbai police, however, disputed the Haryana police's theory, believing that Pahuja's murder was premeditated and indicative that revenge attacks didn't end with the encounter of Gadoli. An anonymous senior officer said, "Pahuja wanted to be an approver and later turned back, maybe anticipating a threat from gangsters. This murder appears pre-planned, sending a message to intimidate any accused-turned-approver."

The officer emphasised that the ongoing gang war in Gurugram might escalate if the influence of dangerous gangsters is not curtailed. A different perspective from an anonymous officer suggested that the Pahuja murder case could be part of a renewed wave of violence in the gang war. The officer said, "Some important dots are missing in the Pahuja murder case. I believe it was a cold-blooded murder indicative of a renewed wave of violence in the ongoing gang war between the henchmen of slain gangster Gadoli and his arch-rival Binder Gujjar, who is incarcerated in Maharashtra prison."

Initially, Haryana police claimed that Pahuja had been sextorting Singh, who had paid Rs 6 lakh to avoid blackmail. However, Mumbai police officers warned that Pahuja's murder could lead to further bloodshed if the influence of dangerous gangsters in Gurugram is not curtailed. Sources in Haryana said that Pahuja had initially been dating one of the brothers of Binder Gujjar, who gained control over the crime syndicate in Gurugram by eliminating all his arch-rivals. "Gujjar found it very tough to eliminate Gadoli. For this reason, he planted Pahuja to date Gadoli. Gujjar, also a Corporator in Gurugram, has a significant nexus within the Haryana police."

"As Pahuja aspired to become a model, she used Gadoli as a ladder to fulfil her dreams. Therefore, she willingly came to Mumbai after being planted as a mole by Gujjar to disarm his arch-rival, who was hiding in a hotel in Andheri to evade any threat from Haryana police," the source explained. "Since Pahuja was passing on crucial information about Gadoli to her mother and posting updates on social media, the Haryana police team tracked the location and reached the Andheri hotel where Gadoli was gunned down," the source added.

The source further highlighted that Gujjar was in jail in Haryana on the day when Gadoli was killed in the staged encounter by Haryana police. "But he was in touch with his brother Manoj Gujjar, who is also a co-accused in the case," added the source. A Mumbai police crime branch official informed mid-day that only one accused, Manoj Gujjar, is wanted in this case. "Our efforts are ongoing to arrest Manoj Gujjar in the fake encounter of Gadoli," said the officer. The staged encounter of Sandeep Gadoli has resulted in a standoff between the Mumbai police and Haryana police. Will Pahuja murder hamper Gadoli fake encounter?

A senior officer in the Mumbai Police crime branch assured mid-day that the murder of Pahuja will not hinder their investigation into the staged encounter of Gadoli. The officer said, "We have sufficient evidence in the case." Pahuja, initially seeking to be an approver, later turned back; she remains an accused, not an approver. The officer stated that their case remains unaffected, with strong evidence to secure a conviction in the ongoing trial at the fast-track Sessions Court.

The officer also noted, "Haryana police is yet to submit Pahuja's death certificate in court." Following Pahuja's murder at Singh's Gurugram hotel on January 2, her body was placed in a BMW and disposed of in the Bhakra canal in Haryana. Singh's friend, Balraj Gill, was arrested at Kolkata airport on January 10 after a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued by Haryana police. Ravi Banga, however, remains at large.

2016
Year Gadoli was killed in a fake encounter