Planned crime? Accused visited city for first time
Police have pieced together the movements and activities of Sakriya, a resident of Rajkot, by utilising electronic surveillance leads, CCTV footage and his interrogation. They are currently verifying four of his associates or friends with whom he was in touch over calls, messages and in person in the past few weeks. His psychological assessment will also be conducted as instances of attempts to self-harm surfaced during the questioning of family members, sources said.
Recently, Sakriya cut himself on the head with a blade, police were told.
According to sources, Sakriya's journey to Delhi began on Aug 17, when he left Rajkot for Ahmedabad by train. From Ahmedabad, he boarded Indore-Gandhinagar Express to Ujjain, where he arrived the next day. "Rajesh claimed he visited several prominent temples in Ujjain, including Mahakal, Kal Bhairav and Mahalaxmi," said an officer who questioned him.
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"After spending some time in Ujjain, Sakriya took Indore-New Delhi Express on the evening of Aug 18. He reached New Delhi station at 6.30am on Aug 19. From the station, he went to the Hanuman temple in Karol Bagh, where he participated in the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa," the officer said. He also inquired about the chief minister's residence and the route there.
Sakriya travelled by the metro from Karol Bagh to Shalimar Bagh and took an auto to CM's residence for Rs 50.
He first requested to meet Gupta, but was told by security staff that CM meets the public on Wednesdays at Jan Sunwai, between 8.30am and 9.30am, at Civil Lines. Sakriya then went to Kashmere Gate by the metro and got to know about Gujarati Dharamshala in Civil Lines, where he spent the night. The next morning, on Wednesday, he arrived in front of CM's residence at 8am.
According to Sakriya's claims, he initially planned to sit on a hunger strike outside Delhi CM's residence.
The cops are, however, not taking his claims at face value and are questioning his family and friends to corroborate them.
Police are also not sure about the motive behind the attack yet. Inquiry revealed that he used to watch videos on animal cruelty, particularly involving dogs. He claimed to have seen a video alleging that Gupta planned to shift 3 lakh dogs to shelter homes.
CCTV footage allegedly showed Sakriya conducting a recce of the area outside CM's residence in Shalimar Bagh on Tuesday. He was seen approaching a rickshaw-puller, whom he handed over some money while engaging in a conversation. Throughout this interaction, Sakriya frequently glanced towards CM's residence. He then spoke on his phone for two to three minutes, before scrolling or typing on it and making a video of the house and the nearby area.
The footage ended with Sakriya moving towards CM's residence.
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