India's Burning Cases: Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case (Dial 100 Episode 701 on 29th, 30th Jan, 2018)

January 30, 2018

न्याय का दमन

Miscarriage Of Justice

Priyadarshini Mattoo was a 25-year-old law (LLB) student at Delhi University. The time she was killed, she was doing the final year of her law program. She was raped and brutally killed with a motorcycle helmet and then strangled with a wire. Santosh Kumar Singh was the main suspect in this murder because he was stalking and harassing Priyadarshini for a long time. Santosh was her immediate senior in the college and belonging to an influential family. At that time his father J.P. Singh was J&K state's Inspector General of Police and during the court trial, he served as Delhi's Joint Commissioner of Police.

Priyadarshini had already filed a complaint several times that Santosh Singh is harassing her and police had also given her security. In defense Santosh also complained that Priyadarshini is serving two degrees simultaneously but later it just came out as a fake allegation on her.

January 23, 1996:

Even after taking security from police Santosh was stalking at Priyadarshini and he had been aware that what is the best time when she is alone. That day when Priyadarshini's security guard was not present with her Santosh knocked on her door. Priyadarshini was living at the uncle's home in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. Santosh convinced her that he wants to discuss the cases against him and wants to compromise. After Priyadarshini allowed her to speak, he raped her and smashed her face with his helmet.

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Things to be observed on Priyadarshini's body were a number of the wound on her body, she was raped and was killed with an electric wire. The time she was killed, her parents were also not there at home and after coming back they told police about Santosh. Just in few hours of murder police called Santosh Singh for questioning. During questioning, police observed an injury on Santosh's right palm. He told police that he met with an accident on 14th January and got injured. Police went for his medical examination and found that his injury is new.

The next day there was a sensation in the media over the nation. Delhi was going through chaos. Delhi police were under high pressure in this case. They raided Santosh's house where they found his helmet whose visor was broken. Observing the high influence of Santosh's father, the case was handed over to CBI in just 48 hours. CBI overtook all the shreds of evidence collected by the Delhi police and took Santosh's blood sample also. Later they matched sample found on Priyadarshini's undergarments with Santosh's DNA which was matched. In other pieces of evidence police also met with Priyadarshini's two neighbors who saw her outside her house on murder's day.
Know more about the case...

SonyLiv:
Part 1: Miscarriage Of Justice: Crime Patrol Dial 100 Part 1
Part 2: Miscarriage Of Justice: Crime Patrol Dial 100 Part 2

Here is more coverage of the case:
www.crimestories.co.in/2012/01/india-investigates-priyadarshini-mattoo.html