IIT student confesses to murder of woman in Shimla

SHIMLA - A student of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, arrested in Haryana early Sunday for allegedly murdering a female IIT-Delhi student in a Shimla hotel, has confessed his crime, police claimed here.

A 22-year-old third-year girl student of textile engineering of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi, who came here with the IIT-Roorkee male student, was found murdered in the hotel room Saturday. Since then, the alleged accused was missing.

“The accused, Gaurav Verma, a third-year architecture student of IIT-Roorkee, confessed that he had murdered Pragati of IIT-Delhi in the hotel around 1 p.m. Friday,” Shimla Superintendent of Police R.M. Sharma told reporters.

He said the two came here to celebrate Pragati’s birthday.

“They purchased a cake and a knife from Ambala when they were on the way to Shimla. On reaching the hotel in the wee hours of Friday, they consumed liquor. Later, there was a clash between them over some issue,” the police officer said.

“In the morning, Gaurav alone went to the market and purchased another knife and came back to the hotel. There was again a clash and he allegedly slit Pragati’s throat with the knife. After that, he remained near the hotel. Around 2.30 a.m., he hired a cab and reached Chandigarh Saturday morning,” he said.

“On reaching Chandigarh, he again checked into a hotel where he tried to commit suicide with some poisonous substance and by cutting the veins of his hand. After that, he left for Roorkee. On reaching Roorkee, he boarded a train for Bathinda (in Punjab). When the train halted at the Jagadhari railway station in Haryana Sunday early morning, he was arrested by police,” Sharma said.

Pragati was a resident of Patna in Bihar, while Gaurav belonged to Manikapur in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh.

“The accused would be presented before a court tomorrow (Monday),” the police officer added.