TORONTO- Devesh, the prime suspect in the murder of his stepmother and stepsisters, has allegedly fled to Canada dealing a blow to the investigations into the case.
Senior superintendent of police Amrit Raj told The Telegraph: “Devesh has fled abroad to Toronto, Canada. The police team we sent to New Delhi was trying to locate him. Its members informed us about his move this (Tuesday) afternoon. The police need to find out when did he leave for Canada, how did he manage to do so and who helped him get out? We are also in touch with the immigration officials.”
The police have also questioned Devesh’s wife Moushami Pandya in New Delhi. Devesh’s father-in-law is an official in the diplomatic service and sources said he could have helped him escape.
Devesh allegedly murdered his father’s second wife Aneela and their daughters Sonali and Poornima on Friday. The police believe that the murder was meticulously planned and the prime suspect fled the country after committing the crime.
With Devesh fleeing the country, the role of his father Gopal Sharan Singh is being scrutinised more closely, sources said.
A police officer said: “Devesh had a very well laid out plan. He had planned the entire thing — killing the trio and then getting out of the country. He also took his father to Delhi. It could be that Devesh also wanted Singh to accompany him to Canada. The police will find out whether Singh had a passport or not.”
Singh, who left for New Delhi on Friday with his son, returned to the state capital the next day and was detained, the police said. He was taken to his Indrapuri residence (where his wife and two daughters were murdered) for investigation on Tuesday. He said his son should be punished.
“I have got nothing to do with this case. My entire family has been wiped out brutally and he (Devesh) should be hanged,” Singh said.
But bringing Devesh back and punish him would be difficult, police sources said.
“Though there is an extradition treaty between Canada and India, bringing Devesh back to the country will take a lot of time. The police will have to contact the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and inform the officials about the case. It has become more complicated now, as he seems to have strong contacts which he used for going abroad,” a source said.
The source added: “It seems that the police had an idea that Devesh would take such a step. In fact, during investigations, the police had come to know that he had gone abroad earlier too.”
The police now hope for assistance from MEA officials who can contact the Canadian embassy and Canadian police.
