Chandigarh stalking case: Vikas Barala arrested
Speaking to reporters, Chandigarh DGP Tejinder Luthra said: "Vikas Barala and his aide, accused of stalking daughter of IAS officer, has been formally arrested."
Hours after receiving the summons, Vikas Barala who is an accused in the Chandigarh stalking case, reached the police station on Wednesday afternoon.
Vikas was summoned by the Chandigarh police on Wednesday morning.
Vikdas' father Subhash Barala said the accused was out of the city this morning leading to the delay in appearance before the police.
Vikas was arrested briefly for allegedly stalking a senior IAS officer’s daughter last Friday night when the latter was returning home in her car.
Police arrested Vikas Barala, the 23-year-old son of BJP’s Subhash Barala, and his friend Ashish Kumar, 27, from the Housing Board light point late on Friday night.
Both were soon released on bail.
Initially it was reported that the CCTV footage was missing.
However, the police on Tuesday said the CCTV footage of the night is available.
The victim Varnika Kundu, who is a video jockey, alleged that on Friday night her car was followed by a Tata Safari Storm (HR-23G-1008).
According to her, the men driving the SUV were drunk and pulled up close to her car several times.
She alleged that they even tried to block her way to force her to other routes.
She claimed that at one point, the SUV blocked her way and the person in the co-driver’s seat got down and started walking towards her vehicle.
She then reversed the vehicle and started moving. However, the men continued to follow her.
The girl then called up the 100 helpline and gave the number details of the SUV and her location.
A day after Vikas was arrested, BJP's state Vice President Ramveer Bhatti triggered an outrage when he said girls should avoid going out during night to keep themselves safe.
Though Bhatti condemned the incident, he made the remark in several interviews to news channels.
Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Subhash Barala on Wednesday said his son Vikas must be punished if he is found guilty after the complete investigation in the Chandigarh stalking case.
Dismissing the accusation of pressuring the cops, the state BJP chief said: "We are not politicising the case or influencing the investigation."
He even referred to the victim as his daughter-like.
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