Swift action: Two woman cops take on stalker to save student in Delhi

Sunil, a 34-year-old taxi driver, had turned up outside a fashion designing institute in Lal Bagh in northwest Delhi on Thursday with a loaded pistol, a bottle of sulfas tablets and a note in his pocket.

His intention was clear -- kill the woman he had been stalking for a year and commit suicide. Quick action of two policewomen present in the locality saved the woman.

Head constable Jaswini and constable Pooja were meeting women in Lal Bagh area as part of ‘Operation Bharosa’, an outreach programme, when someone informed them about a man trying to abduct a woman at gunpoint.

“Acting swiftly, the two cops rushed towards the street where they found the man holding a pistol in his hand and dragging the woman. The man threatened to shoot the woman if anyone intervened. The policewomen asked him to release the woman but he continued to threaten ,” said Vijay Singh, deputy commissioner of police (northwest).

Nobody from the crowd came forward to rescue the woman when the two cops suddenly jumped on the man, snatched his pistol and released the woman from his grip.

“The man tried to run away but he was overpowered again. This time, he took out a small plastic bottle and swallowed some pills. Jaswini tried to take out the pills from his mouth. The police rushed him to a nearby hospital,” DCP said.

A note recovered from Sunil said he had planned to kill the woman and then commit suicide by consuming poisonous tablets. A resident of Azadpur village in north Delhi, Sunil was in love with the woman, a second-year college student of Delhi University, but it was one-sided, police said.

A loaded pistol with three cartridges and a plastic bottle with sulfas pills were recovered from Sunil’s possession. Sunil was previously arrested in July 2015 for molesting the same woman. A case was then registered at the Ashok Vihar police station.

Singh applauded the courage of the two policewomen posted at the Adarsh Nagar police station. A recommendation will be sent to Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi for suitably rewarding the two women cops.

Operation Bharosa was launched last year by the Delhi Police to generate confidence among residents, especially women, after the murder of Meenakshi who was killed by her neighbours for resisting molestation.